Second-victim distress, organizational support, and interprofessional collaboration and posttraumatic growth in nurses

Aim

To examine the prevalence of second-victim distress among nurses and the association of second-victim distress, organizational support, and interprofessional collaboration with posttraumatic growth.

Background

Medical errors are unavoidable in healthcare; however, when acknowledged and shared, they offer healthcare professionals an opportunity to learn and grow. Second-victim distress arises from learning from mistakes but can be stressful for nurses, prompting some to leave the profession. Furthermore, poor management may foster a culture of reluctance to admit errors. Therefore, addressing nurses’ distress is crucial for posttraumatic growth and, ultimately, patient safety.

Methods

The participants were 435 nurses working in general or tertiary hospitals who completed an online survey. This cross-sectional study followed the guidelines of the STROBE checklist. The collected data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis to determine significant factors influencing posttraumatic growth.

Results

Physical distress, interprofessional collaboration, colleague support, institutional support, nonwork-related support, professional self-efficacy, and the position of charge nurse significantly influenced posttraumatic growth. The regression model explained 32.2% of posttraumatic growth with isolation emerging as the most influential factor.

Conclusion

Encouraging cooperation among healthcare professionals, mitigating physical distress, and providing organizational support are necessary to galvanize posttraumatic growth. Interprofessional medical collaboration and prevention of nurse isolation may be crucial for converting second-victim distress into posttraumatic growth.

Implications for nursing and health policy

Careful consideration of factors influencing posttraumatic growth is necessary to develop interventions that can enable nurses to overcome second-victim distress and achieve higher-level growth. If nurses can successfully transform second-victim distress into posttraumatic growth, it will ultimately have a positive impact on patient safety and the quality of nursing care.