The Effect of Second-Victim-Related Distress and Support on Work-Related Outcomes in Tertiary Care Hospitals in Kelantan, Malaysia

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 May 26;19(11):6454. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19116454.

Abstract

After a patient safety incident, the involved healthcare providers may experience sustained second-victim distress and reduced professional efficacy, with subsequent negative work-related outcomes and the cultivation of resilience. This study aims to investigate the factors affecting negative work-related outcomes and resilience with a hypothetical triad of support as the mediators: colleague, supervisor, and institutional support. This cross-sectional study recruited 733 healthcare providers from three tertiary care hospitals in Kelantan, Malaysia. Three steps of hierarchical linear regression were developed for both outcomes (negative work-related outcomes and resilience). Four multiple mediator models of the support triad were analyzed. Second-victim distress, professional efficacy, and the support triad contributed significantly in all the regression models. Colleague support partially mediated the relationship defining the effects of professional efficacy on negative work-related outcomes and resilience, whereas colleague and supervisor support partially mediated the effects of second-victim distress on negative work-related outcomes. Similar results were found regarding resilience, with all support triads producing similar results. As mediators, the support triads ameliorated the effect of second-victim distress on negative work-related outcomes and resilience, suggesting an important role of having good support, especially after encountering patient safety incidents.

Keywords: hierarchical linear regression; mediation; patient safety incidents; second victims; support.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Health Personnel
  • Humans
  • Malaysia
  • Medical Errors*
  • Patient Safety*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Tertiary Care Centers

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Universiti Sains Malaysia through a postgraduate development incentive grant (TIPPS, 2020).