“Talking to Someone Who Gets It…” Experiences of Surgical Site Teams in Implementing a Peer Support Programme for Surgeons After Adverse Events

Background/Objectives: Surgeon health and psychological functioning are profoundly impacted by adverse events in surgery. This inevitably affects workforce performance and patient safety. Despite this, routine wellbeing support for surgeons following such incidents is not routinely offered or utilised. The SUPPORT (SUrgeon Peer-led Post-incident Response Teams) Quality Improvement collaborative was developed to address this gap, supporting 12 hospital Trusts/Groups across the UK and Republic of Ireland to implement a peer support programme for surgeons. This qualitative study explored surgical site team members’ experiences of employing SUPPORT in their hospitals, focusing on the barriers and facilitators encountered in this process. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 surgical site team members enrolled in SUPPORT (13 surgeons, 2 psychologists and 1 anaesthetist). Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify key themes/subthemes within the data. Results: While there was a strong collective belief in the importance of SUPPORT, participants highlighted a disconnect between conceptual endorsement and the practical, institutional, and cultural challenges of implementation. SUPPORT was seen as an important tool in the context of adverse events, as well as a way to challenge the cultural stigma around showing vulnerability, admitting mistakes, and seeking support. Conclusions: This study explored important barriers and facilitators to implementing a peer support programme for surgeons, highlighting key considerations for surgeon-specific interventions in the aftermath of adverse events.