Supporting Recovery after Adverse Events: An Essential Component of Surgeon Well-being
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Read the article on jpedsurg.org ↗Article · Jan 2021 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
Survey of pediatric surgeons reveals 80% have experienced medical errors causing significant patient harm, yet only 25% were satisfied with institutional support afterward. Most surgeons prefer peer contact following adverse events, but barriers include shame culture and institutional distrust, highlighting the need for structured recovery programs to prevent burnout.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Abstract
Background
Failure to recover after a medical error is a major contributor to burnout. The degree to which pediatric surgeons experience errors and the barriers and facilitators to successful recovery are largely unknown.
Methods
We conducted a survey of American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) members to measure frequency of personal experience with medical errors resulting in significant patient harm, describe coping mechanisms, and explore surgeon satisfaction with institutional support in the wake of an error.
Results
We found that 80% of respondents have personally experienced a medical error resulting in significant patient harm or death, and that only about one-quarter were satisfied with the support provided by their institution. Only 11% of surgeons would prefer not to be contacted after an adverse event, and most would want to be contacted by their partners. Barriers to providing and receiving support included lack of knowledge, "shame and blame" culture, and lack of trust in the institution as an ally.
Conclusions
Pediatric surgeons routinely experience intense and stressful clinical scenarios and face challenging paths to recovery after adverse events. Institutions and national societies can play a critical role in creating infrastructure to help surgeons recover, in order to prevent burnout and promote well-being.