Medical Error –

How do you cope?Colleen Taylor, ED Registrar

August 2017

“To err is human, to forgive is

devine”1

BABY J

Baby J

“So I have wanted to write this status for over a week, but

felt I couldn't incase of legal reasons..however the incident

is being investigated by the board, and I will leave names

and other incidents out..for now..on the Thursday morning

jaxon was overdosed on a medication by ten times the

normal amount. A now level one error nearly caused my son

to die, he had many complications due to this massive

mistake”

Medical Error

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmB8PCEXVgk

How Can it Impact?

• Feelings:

- Shame

- Guilt

- Embarrassment

- Shake your professional and personal self image

How Can it Impact?

• Behaviour

- Change how you relate to your colleagues

- Change your practice

- Change where you work

- Quit your specialty/job

- Affect your home life

- Drug/alcohol use

- Suicide

The Second Victim

• “a health care provider involved in an unanticipated

adverse patient event, medical error and/or a patient

related-injury who become victimized in the sense that

the provider is traumatized by the event. Frequently,

second victims feel personally responsible for the

unexpected patient outcomes and feel as though they have

failed their patient, and feel doubts about their clinical

skills and knowledge base.”1

Simon Carley – Talking

about Medical Error

https://youtu.be/o1A-Ld_6MbI

The Second Victim

• There are those that thrive……

• And those who survive……

• And those who leave

The Second Victim

Trajectory

How Can I Thrive?

• Personal

- Resilience is important

- You can’t teach resilience after the event

- Links in to being in a positive headspace

- Don’t become a victim

How Can I Thrive?

• Organisation

- Be kind

- Positive affirmation

- Have a mentor

- Build a culture which accepts errors occur

Further Information – The

Talk That Saved My

Career

• SMACC talks – Simon Carley on Medical Error

References

1. Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, Part II (1711).

2. Scott et al. The natural history of recovery for the

healthcare provider “second victim” after adverse

patient events. Qual Saf Health Care. 2009 18: 325-330