Patient Safety and Quality
AMA PRA Category 1 Credits 1.25
CAMPEP Credits: 1.25
MDCB Credits: 1.25
Elizabeth Covington, PhD
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Mi
A medical error can leave a lasting negative effect on health care workers. Intrusive feelings of guilt, doubt, fear and regret are common, and this emotional distress can lead to lasting effects on a providers ability and interest in further practice. Health care workers experiencing trauma from committing error have been referred to as "second victims." The consequences of error can thus ripple outwards, depriving a community of a practitioner who is most likely skilled, compassionate and no more risk prone than anyone else in their role. Preventing disengagement, burnout and dropout because of the second victim phenomenon is an important element of a robust safety culture.
This session will address and acknowledge this overlooked, deeply harmful phenomenon. Leaders in radiation safety will discuss their own experiences navigating practice after being involved in or witnessing an error. An architect of the Resilience in Stressful Events (RISE) program will share techniques in how best to support second victims. They will share what they have learned in their peer-support program providing psychological first aid to health care workers in the years since its implementation. There will also be exploration of future areas of improvement, drawing in part from other industries, to support those experiencing the second victim phenomenon.
We intend this session to lead to increased awareness of the second victim phenomenon and empower practitioners to take action against it at their own facilities.
Speaker: Elizabeth Covington, PhD – University of Michigan
Speaker: Albert Wu, MD, PhD – Johns Hopkins Medicine
Speaker: Gopal Bajaj, MD, MBA, FASTRO – Inova Schar Cancer Institute
Speaker: Cheryl Connors, RN – Johns Hopkins Medicine
Speaker: Wesley Talcott, MD, MBA – Northwell Health
Speaker: Elizabeth Covington, PhD – University of Michigan
Speaker: Elizabeth Covington, PhD – University of Michigan