Exploring Second Victim Syndrome and Support Resource Perceptions Among Nurses in a Teaching Tertiary Care Hospital

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The assessment of second-victim phenomena within health care organizations and the evaluation of existing support systems are crucial for health care leaders. However, there is a paucity of evidence highlighting nurses' perceptions associated with the physical and psychological distress they experience following an adverse event in lower and middle-income countries (LMIC). Hence, this study aims to explore the magnitude of second-victim experiences among nurses and their perceptions of support resources available. Support systems focusing on training and resilience in coping, peer support programs, and mental health resources have been deployed by some hospitals to combat second victim syndrome. The objective of this research is to investigate the extent of second-victim experiences among nurses in a tertiary teaching hospital in south India and their perceptions regarding the availability of different support resources. METHODS: A total of 1074 respondents participated in the study, which was conducted at a teaching tertiary care hospital in Coastal Karnataka in April 2023. The respondents consisted of nurses aged 20 years and older who were directly involved in patient care. Standardized and validated instruments were employed to collect the data. All survey responses were coded and summarized in a master Excel sheet, and subsequently, the data were exported to IBM SPSS Statistics 25 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were utilized to summarize the obtained data. RESULTS: One of the primary findings of the study is the inadequacy of organizational support services addressing the second victim experience. A majority of the nursing professionals highlighted the role of non-work-related support, such as love from friends and families, to cope with the experiences related to being a second victim. While timely responses from nursing supervisors are acknowledged and appreciated in the present study, nurses also reported a tendency for attribution of blame by their supervisor. In addition, our study reveals the role of second victim syndrome in absenteeism and turnover. This can be attributed to the significant psychological and mental distress experienced by nurses in such situations. CONCLUSION: The present study attempted to examine the second victim experiences of nursing professionals. The originality and value of this research lie in addressing the lack of evidence regarding nurses' perceptions and the physical and psychological distress they encounter following adverse events. This study sheds light on an understudied area, highlighting the need for further attention and support for nurses in the aftermath of adverse events.