There is ample evidence that an adverse event, the threat of litigation or, of course, litigation itself causes significant emotional distress to any healthcare practitioner who may be involved. Because of several factors (shame and/or humiliation, the fear of discoverability of conversations, or the lack of training of peers to effectively support each other), individuals… Read More »Litigation Stress Support: How Organizations Can Help
Will the success of the “second victim” assistance movement, propelled by Dr. Albert Wu’s 2000 seminal article (www.nlbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed; PMID # 10720336), with its strong emphasis on the use of trained volunteer peers, fall prey to plaintiff lawyers’ attempts to pierce these therapeutic encounters in search of possible admissions of liability? A recent article appearing in… Read More »Saving the Important Work of Second Victim Support Programs
Distress is characterized by a wide variety of disruptive emotions and reactions following a significant traumatic event. It is not a diagnosis but a normal response to abnormal events such as significant clinical adverse events and lawsuits. Manifestations include: Anger – Sued physicians, for example, often think that the suit is not only unfair but… Read More »Distress in the Aftermath of Litigation