Citation

Russ MJ. Psychiatr. Q. 2017; 88(4): 917-920.

Affiliation

New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, 21 Bloomingdale Road, White Plains, NY, 10605, USA. Mjr9012@med.cornell.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s11126-017-9511-1

PMID

28342140

Abstract

The third victim phenomenon refers to a system-wide organizational response to a serious untoward event in health care settings. The objective of this report is to describe possible measurable correlates of this phenomenon. A serious incident on one unit in the hospital is described. Utilization of constant observation and rate of discharge in the aftermath throughout the hospital were assessed. There was a hospital-wide uptick in conservative decision making following the serious incident, exemplified by an increase in the utilization of constant observation and decreased rate of discharges. These findings lend support to the validity of the concept of the third victim phenomenon and underscore the imperative for a coherent leadership response to prevent damage to institutional core values, morale, and reputation. Systematic investigation of this phenomenon and its potential effects on clinical practice in the aftermath of serious incidents is warranted.

Language: en

Keywords

Second victim; Third victim