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The effect of surgical complications on ENT trainees

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2021

O McLaren ,
C Perkins  and
D Alderson
O McLaren*
Affiliation:
Otolaryngology Department, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, UK
C Perkins
Affiliation:
Otolaryngology Department, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, UK
D Alderson
Affiliation:
Otolaryngology Department, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, Torquay, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Mr Oliver McLaren, Otolaryngology Department, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth PL6 8DH, UK E-mail: oliver.mclaren@nhs.net
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Abstract

Background

The ‘second victim phenomenon’ is a term attributed to the traumatic effect a medical error can have on healthcare professionals. Patient safety incidents have been shown to occur in as many as one in seven patients in hospital. These incidents cause significant, potentially devastating, trauma to patients and their relatives, and can have deep and long-lasting effects on the health professionals involved. These incidents can have a negative impact on doctors’ emotional wellbeing; their professional practice in relation to this impact has not been extensively investigated in surgical trainees.

Method

A survey of UK otolaryngology trainees was conducted to investigate the effects of complications and medical errors on trainees, and examine how these are discussed within departments.

Results and conclusion

The findings suggest that further training is required and would be warmly received by otolaryngology trainees as part of higher surgical training.

Keywords

Medical ErrorsTraining SupportPatient Safety

Information

Type
Main Articles
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 135 , Issue 4 , April 2021 , pp. 293 - 296
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

Mr O McLaren takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

Paper presented orally at the virtual British Academic Conference of Otolaryngology, 10–12 January 2021 (online).

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