Take our Burnout Test

Find a therapist near me

The term "second victim syndrome" has been used to describe clinician trauma after medical complications.

Healthcare workers often face guilt, burnout, and self-doubt following adverse events.

About half of clinicians experience "second victim" feelings at least once in their careers.

This post was co-authored by Amanda Fernandes and Robert T. Muller, Ph.D.

“Things went poorly for this newborn with a complex congenital anomaly, and I felt entirely responsible due to my decision,” says Steven Stylianos, professor and chief of the division of pediatric surgery and surgeon-in-chief of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital, in an interview with The Trauma and Mental Health Report. Despite the tragic outcome, he remained personally involved in the infant’s care, speaking with the parents daily until the baby passed away.

In 2000, the Institute of Medicine released To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, a book that estimated as many as 98,000 preventable patient deaths each year in the United States due to medical errors.

The same year, Albert Wu, professor and general internist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, coined the term second victim syndrome (SVS) to highlight the lasting effects of medical complications on healthcare professionals. He explains that the term “second victim” reflected his belief that........

© Psychology Today