Medical error and second victim

Module Author – Melanie Rule; Peer review – Una Harrington

Updated March 2023

 Learning Objectives

• Describe the impact that medical errors have on the individual doctor, team & healthcare organisation.
• Introduce the concept of the “second victim” in medical error.
• Describe the role of debriefing after critical incidents.
• Outline the difference between a blame culture and a just culture in healthcare.
• Identify personal strategies that may assist in dealing with your response to failure.
• Encourage the adoption of a growth mindset and learning from error.

Module contents

Medical Error and 2nd Victim – The Synopsis

• Facilitator material
  • Medical Error and 2nd Victim – Facilitator Guide
  • Medical Error and 2nd Victim – Facilitator Powerpoint Guide
  • Medical Error and 2nd Victim – Facilitator Case Studies
  • Medical Error and 2nd Victim – Facilitator Resources Published

• Learner material
  • Medical Error and 2nd Victim – Learner Guide
  • Medical Error and 2nd Victim – Learner Case Studies
  • V2 Medical Error and 2nd Victim – Learner Resources

WRaP EM blog posts on this topic

• • Learning from Medical Error – The Podcast https://wrapem.org/2020/08/03/learning-from-medical-error/
  • Patient Complaints and how to deal with them when they come to your inbox. https://wrapem.org/2020/05/14/the-email-no-clinician-wants-to-receive/