Impacto laboral y psicológico de las segundas víctimas entre los profesionales sanitarios hospitalarios

Objective

To analyze the occupational and psychological consequences suffered by healthcare workers who are considered second victims (SV).

Material and methods

Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study among the healthcare workers of a university hospital. The answers collected in a specifically designed questionnaire about psychological consequences at work and the result of a post-traumatic stress scale, “Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R, spanish version)” were evaluated. The variables between the groups were compared using the Chi square test (or Fisher's exact test) when both were qualitative and with the Student's T (or the Mann–Whitney U test for independent data), when one of them was quantitative. The level of statistical significance was P<.05.

Results

75.5% (148/207) of the participants in the study suffered some adverse event (AE) and, of these, 88.5% (131/148) were considered SV.

Physicians had a 2.2 times higher risk of feeling SV than nurses (95% CI: 1.88-2.52). The impact on the patient related to the AE explained why the professionals involved in it felt SV (P=.037).

80.6% (N = 104) of the SVs presented post-traumatic stress. Women were 2.4 times more likely to suffer from it (OR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.5-4.0).

Intrusive thoughts in the SV were almost three times more frequent when the damage suffered by the patient was permanent or death (OR: 2.5; 95% CI: 0.2-3.6).

Conclusions

Many healthcare workers, especially physicians, considered themselves to be SV, and many of them suffered from post-traumatic stress. The impact on the patient related to the AE was a risk factor for being SV and for suffering psychological consequences.