Understanding the Second Victim Phenomenon Among Healthcare Workers in an Italian Hospital

Bibliographic Data

ID16946563
AuthorsRaffaella Sedile (0000-0002-8814-9306, National Research Council), Antonella Zizza (0000-0001-5598-8499, National Research Council), Luca Bastiani (0000-0003-3467-7362, Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica, corresponding author), Eugenia Carluccio (Ospedale Vito Fazzi), Marinella Marrazzi (Ospedale Vito Fazzi), Tommaso Bellandi (0000-0002-3087-1822, Agenzia Regionale di Sanità della Toscana), Giorgio O Spagnolo (0000-0002-7771-0882, Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologie dell'Informazione "Alessandro Faedo")
Year2024
Volume14
Issue12
Pages3073-3086
Publication date2024-12-16
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2174-8144 • E-ISSN: 2254-9625
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/ejihpe14120201
PMID39727509
OpenAlexW4405501369
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited64

Second victim syndrome (SVS) refers to the psychological trauma experienced by healthcare workers (HCWs) as a result of being involved in an adverse event (AE). Research on the prevalence of SVS and the support needed for HCWs who experience it is limited. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Health Local Unit of Lecce, in Puglia, to identify the phenomenon of SVS among HCWs and recognize the forms of support received and desired. A validated questionnaire, IT-SVEST, was administered to doctors and nurses. The survey received responses from 250 HCWs, and 41% of respondents reported being involved in an AE that could cause SVS. Among the seven dimensions measuring the effects of the SVS and two outcome variables, the highest percentage of agreement was found for psychological distress (23.5%), followed by turnover intentions (19.8%) and physical distress (9.9%); 23.8% of the interviewees declared that they did not receive institutional support, and 9.9% identified help resources mostly in non-work-related support (9.9%), followed by supervisor support (9.3%). The multivariable binary logistic regression analysis showed a positive association between the occurrence of an AE and the medical doctor profession (OR = 4.267, p ≤ 0.0001), and affiliation to intensive care departments (OR = 5.133, p ≤ 0.0001) and male gender (OR = 2.069, p = 0.033). SVS is a serious problem that affects the entire health system, systematic surveys and appropriate institutional responses including formal support programs for affected HCWs are a priority

Cross-sectional study · Distress · Family medicine · Health care · Logistic regression · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · Clinical Reasoning and Diagnostic Skills · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Medicine · Patient Safety and Medication Errors · Internal Medicine

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