The Relationship of Medication Safety Competence, Second Victim Experiences, Second Victim Support, and Negative Work Outcomes among Clinical Nurses

Purpose: This study aimed to identify clinical nurses’levels of medication safety competence, second victim experience, second victim support, and negative work outcomes, and to examine the interrelationships among these variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 142 nurses working in university or general hospitals in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, using self-administered questionnaires collected between June 10 and July 5, 2024. Data were analyzed with IBM SPSS statistics 29.0 using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis. Results: The mean scores were as follows: medication safety competence (4.10±0.43), second victim experience (3.37±0.61), second victim support (3.12±0.30), and negative work outcomes (2.68±0.72). Medication safety competence was negatively correlated with negative work outcomes (r=-.17, p=.047) and positively correlated with psychological distress, a subdomain of second victim experience (r=.21, p=.013). Second victim experience was positively correlated with both second victim support (r=.53, p<.001) and negative work outcomes (r=.56, p<.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that nurses with greater medication safety competence experienced fewer negative work-related outcomes but higher levels of psychological distress. Strengthening medication safety competence may improve patient safety and occupational performance; however, the associated psychological burden must not be overlooked. Initiatives to enhance competence should therefore be accompanied by strategies designed to mitigate psychological distress.