‘I don’t think I have ever made peace with what happened’: How do you survive the aftermath of a serious adverse event?
The distress doctors experience after an adverse event is sometimes referred to as the 'second victim' phenomenon.
“After the coronial inquiry, I went into this period of avoidance. I couldn’t bring myself to read the recommendations for years.”
It has been more than a decade since a patient died while under the care of Dr A, who was then a junior doctor.
Since his fellowship, he has dedicated his time to improving patient safety and eventually took charge of the very service where the adverse event occurred.
But the experience has never left him.
