Peer Support to Promote Surgeon Well-being: The APSA Program Experience | Created by APSA Wellness Committee | APSA American Pediatric Surgical Association Saving Lifetimes | Peer supporters were nominated by fellow APSA members | Formal virtual training was conducted in 2020 | Trained supporters were surveyed 6 months after the program launched | 15 referrals in the 1st year (60% self-initiated) | Distress from adverse events | Toxic work environments | 25% of trained supporters had provided formal support through the APSA program | > 80% used the skills to support colleagues & trainees in their own institutions | Conclusion: The APSA peer support program shows the feasibility of creating a national initiative to provide emotional first aid and expand support for struggling surgeons. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38272766/ | Source: Fall F et al. | @EmGooteeMD | @StayCurrentMD | Department of Surgery, Nemours Children's Health, Wilmington, DE, USA & Department of General Surgery, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA | Cincinnati Children's | Journal of Pediatric Surgery
Peer Support to Promote Surgeon Well-being: The APSA Program Experience
Infographic · Oct 2024 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
APSA launched a national peer support program training surgeons to provide emotional first aid to colleagues experiencing adverse events or workplace distress. In its first year, the program received 15 referrals and demonstrated feasibility, with trained supporters applying skills both formally through APSA and informally within their own institutions.
- Nearly half of pediatric surgeons experiencing medical errors received no colleague outreach, highlighting critical gaps in institutional support.
- APSA's peer support program trained diverse supporters who handled 15 referrals in year one, primarily for adverse events and toxic work environments.
- 60% of peer support requests were self-initiated, demonstrating surgeons will seek help when accessible confidential resources exist.
- Over 80% of trained peer supporters applied skills informally within their institutions, multiplying program impact beyond formal referrals.
- Professional society-based peer support programs are feasible and expand the safety net for surgeons experiencing distress nationwide.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the infographic.
Teal and yellow infographic with APSA logo at top left. Features illustrations of a computer screen showing virtual meeting participants, a distressed surgeon at a desk, and two surgeons sitting together in supportive conversation. Text blocks are arranged in sections with yellow and coral accent colors highlighting key statistics and program details.
Fari Fall, Yue Yung Hu, Sarah Walker, Reto Baertschiger, Iljana Gaffar, Daniel Saltzman, Steven Stylianos, Jo Shapiro, Minna Wieck, Terry Buchmiller, Mary L Brandt, Thomas Tracy, Kurt Heiss, Loren Berman
Background: Peer support programs have evolved to train physicians to provide outreach and emotional first aid to their colleagues when they experience the inevitable challenge of a serious adverse event, whether or not it is related to a medical error. Most pediatric surgeons have experienced the trauma of a medical error, yet, in a survey of APSA membership, almost half said that no one reached out to them, and few were satisfied with their institution's response to the error. Thus, the APSA Wellness Committee developed an APSA-based peer support program to meet this need.
Methods: Peer supporters were nominated by fellow APSA members, and the group was vetted to ensure diversity in demographics, practice setting, and seniority. Formal virtual training was conducted before the program went live in 2020. Trained supporters were surveyed 6 months after the program launched to evaluate their experiences with providing peer support.
Results: 15 referrals were made in the first year, 60 % of which were self-initiated. Most referrals were for distress related to adverse events or toxic work environments (33 % each). While only about 25 % of trained supporters had provided formal support through the APSA program, more than 80 % reported using the skills to support colleagues and trainees within their own institutions.
Conclusion: Our experience in the first year of the APSA peer support program demonstrates the feasibility of building and maintaining a national program to provide emotional first aid by a professional society to expand the safety net for surgeons who are suffering.