Exploring the Experiences and Support of Nurses as Second Victims After Patient Safety Events in China: A Mixed-Method Approach

Wenzhen Tang; Yuanxi Xie; Qingfeng Yan; Yanjuan Teng; Li Yu; Liuying Wei; Jinmei Li; Yuhui Chen; Xiaolin Huang; Shaoli Yang; Kui Jia

doi:10.2147/RMHP.S451766

Exploring the Experiences and Support of Nurses as Second Victims After Patient Safety Events in China: A Mixed-Method Approach

Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2024 Mar 12:17:573-586. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S451766. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Wenzhen Tang¹, Yuanxi Xie¹, Qingfeng Yan², Yanjuan Teng¹, Li Yu¹, Liuying Wei³, Jinmei Li⁴, Yuhui Chen¹, Xiaolin Huang¹, Shaoli Yang¹, Kui Jia¹

Affiliations

¹ The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 530021, People's Republic of China.
² The Sanming Second Hospital, Sanming, Fujian Province, 366099, People's Republic of China.
³ Nanning Fourth People's Hospital, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 530021, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Wanxiu District Chengnan Community Health Service Center, Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 543000, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the current status of experience and support of nurses as second victims and explore its related factors in nurses.

Design: A sequential, explanatory, mixed-method study was applied.

Methods: A total of 406 nurses from seven tertiary hospitals in China were chosen as participants between September to October 2023. The Chinese version of the Second Victim Experience and Support Questionnaire (SVEST), Somatic Complaints of Sub-health Status Questionnaire (SCSSQ) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) were applied to collect quantitative data. Eight nurses were selected for a qualitative study through in-depth interviews. Through interpretive phenomenological analysis, the interview data were analysed to explore the experience and support of nurses as second victims.

Results: Practice distress (15.74 ± 4.97) and psychological distress (15.48 ± 3.74) were the highest dimensions, indicating Chinese nurses experienced second victim-related practice and psychological distress. Nurses with different gender, age, education, marital status, income, working hours, professional titles, and unit types have different levels of second victim-related experience and support (p < 0.05). In addition, the score of SVEST was positively associated with SCSSQ (r = 0.444) and GAD-7 (r = 0.490) (p < 0.05). This qualitative study found that the experience and support of nurses as second victims included nurses' perceptions and needs for patient safety events; psychological, physical and practice distress of nurses; and nurses and hospitals coping style after patient safety events.

Discussion: Our findings suggest that nurses who are second victims of patient safety events experience severe practice and psychological distress, indicating that nursing managers should pay attention to psychological and practice distress of nurses after patient safety events and provide effective preventive measures.

Keywords: Nurses; mixed method; patient safety events; second victims.