The Second Victim Phenomenon and Relationships between its Dimensions among Nurses in South Khorasan Province, Iran

The second victim phenomenon is an incident that occurs after an adverse medical event; while the patient is the first victim of the incident, the nurses and healthcare personnel become the second victims because they feel ashamed after that. The present research aimed to investigate various dimensions of the second victim phenomenon among nurses in South Khorasan Province, Iran. The current research was a descriptive study. The sample selection method was multi-stage cluster randomization, including 200 nurses working in South Khorasan Province, Iran. The data was collected using a demographic questionnaire and the second victim experience and support tool (SVEST) and analyzed using SPSS version 21. The scores of incidence of psychological distress (14.60), professional self-efficacy (9.42), supervisor support (15.97), institutional support (10.71), turnover intentions and absenteeism (13.35), non-work-related support (expected sources of support) (25.25) and the total score of second victim phenomenon (114.55) were higher than the expected average; but other scores including colleague support (8.56), family support (5.41), and physical distress (11.31) were significantly lower than the expected average (p<0.05). Medical errors cause negative emotional reactions and psychological distress among healthcare provideres turning them to the second victims of those errors. Timely and effective support from their institutions and other  sources should be supplied in order to reduce the incidence of second victim phenomenon.