Leadership and Peer Support of Surgeons Post-Adverse Event: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract Surgeons are leaving the active practice of surgery and fewer physicians are pursuing surgical training, as a result the United States is predicted to have a shortage of surgeons until 2050. Surgery hosts a multitude of occupational stressors, one of which is interoperative adverse events and the subsequent experience of second victims. The literature indicates surgeons prefer psychological/emotional support from peers after interoperative adverse events. However, best practices for how to deliver peer and leadership support responses when surgeons experience second victims have not been established. This was a phenomenological qualitative study targeting practicing surgeons across the United States. Subsequent virtual and in person interviews were conducted utilizing semistructured questions targeting what surgeons had previously found helpful in the wake of interoperative adverse events. NVivo qualitative software was utilized for transcribing and coding. Ethnicity included Arab American, Asian American, Black, and White. Study participant's years of surgical practice ranged from 0‒5 to 20+, with half of the participants reporting 20+ years of experience. The medical specialties of participants included in the study were trauma/critical care surgery, colorectal surgery, general surgery, surgical oncology, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedic surgery, pediatric surgery, plastic surgery and vascular surgery. This study’s findings align with previous literature and extend the knowledge for best practices in response to surgical interoperative adverse events. These findings have implications for surgeon specific peer and leadership best practices for response after interoperative adverse event and could be helpful in the prevention of surgeon attrition due to the experience of second victim.