Improving surgeon wellness: The second victim syndrome and quality of care

Improving quality of care logically involves optimizing the duty-readiness and well-being of the healthcare provider. Medical errors and poor outcomes adversely impact the involved providers, especially surgeons, as well as the patients and their families. Unfortunately our current system does little to support these “second victims” who experience various degrees of emotional and psychological stresses including confusion, loss of confidence and debilitating anxiety. These factors contribute to the alarmingly high rates of professional “burn-out,” substance abuse, and suicide of healthcare providers as well as increasing the likelihood of subsequent medical errors.
Source: Seminars in Pediatric Surgery - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Source Type: research