Impact of Clinical Error on Second Victim and Role of Unit Managers

Running head: PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING
PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING
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PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING1
Description of Clinical scenario
I was working as a professional nurse and had joined the organization 6 months back.
During my regular shift activity I noticed that one of my senior colleague waiting outside the
unit manager room and was upset. After speaking to her, I got to know that she was charged
and blamed for conducting a clinical error that had resulted in an adverse event. She was a
long-term practitioner in the children hospital and one of her patient died due to medication
overdose for which she was blamed of being careless and ignorant (Scott et al., 2009). Her
licence was cancelled and she lost her job. She was in a state of depression as she had also
lost her livelihood. She was working in the organization for more than 2 year and had no
history of malpractice or error. The mental condition of the nurse was getting deteriorated
and she had eventually committed suicide after 5 months of the child’s death. The child who
died and his family members were considered as the first victim and the second victim in this
case was the nurse and the healthcare practitioners who were involved in the incident and
were personally accountable for the complete situation (Wu, 2000). The incidence of clinical
error depends on the intensity and severity of the outcome that will determine what
consequence should be faced by the second victim. In this scenario, the mother of nurse
stated that she lacked coping skills and was over-burdened with work that could be possible
due to work overload and no adequate support. The level of safety managed by the hospital
depends on the way the organization handle and deal with the second victim. The hospital
had suspended the second victim, which stated that they had fear, anxiety and lack of
willingness to learn from their mistakes. Hence, the organization did not support the second
victim or helped her to overcome from the psychological illness.

PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING2
Short term and long-term impact
The above case scenario highlights the situation of clinical error, which has a long-
term as well as short-term effect on the second victim that comprise of the nurse who was
responsible for the deed and the healthcare practitioners. The clinical error has a negative
influence on other patients who are present in the hospital and are scared to receive treatment
from the involved healthcare professionals, which eventually ruins the decorum of the
organization. The major long-term effect is that the reputation and the trust of the healthcare
organization are questioned and the organization might also face some legal consequences
(Chamoun, Zeenny & Mansour, 2016). The short term effect is that the second victims
(healthcare practitioner and nurse) suffer from the feeling of guilt and even doubt their
individual capabilities that in turn effect their mental health and peace. In case of any adverse
event, the second victim might also lose their job that will affect their personal lives and they
can even have a bad reputation within the society. In the long run the organization has to deal
with the negative image and in case of adverse situation, the license of the organization might
also be cancelled (Wu, 2000).
Role and responsibilities of unit managers and senior clinicians
The primary role and responsibility of the unit managers and senior clinicians who are
involved in the adverse event is that they should provide adequate support and assistance to
the nurse. In this case scenario, the nurse was not all supported by the organization because of
which she was in the state of depression and even committed suicide. Therefore, it is the
primary responsibility of the unit managers and senior clinicians to support the second victim
and help them to learn from their mistakes (Santomauro, Kalkman & Dekker, 2014). The
senior clinicians can set up a second victim program or employee assistance program, where
they will educate the nurses and the practitioners to fulfil the gap and emphasize on