Adverse Events

Healthcare providers are often involved in harmful or deadly adverse events. The emotional distress that affects healthcare providers after such adverse events can be devastating, especially if adequate support is not available. Consequences include poor work performance, suicide, and burnout—a syndrome associated with numerous harms that may include cardiovascular disease, decreased life expectancy, and suicide.¹ Burnout also increases the risk of more safety events, which can lead to an increased mortality rate for patients.² The system cost of burnout in physicians is substantial, as providers may reduce their workload, change work environments, or resign altogether and need to be replaced.^{1, 3}

Thus, managing caregiver distress after adverse events is essential. Peer Support Programs (PSP), which connect stressed providers to trained peers who’ve faced similar circumstances, and Care for Caregiver (C4CG) programs, which offer more types of trained response, can reduce distress, speed recovery, and prevent burnout.⁴

Find more details on setting up a PSP at the Roadmap to Peer Support, offered by the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins:

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/armstrong-institute/peer-support-roadmap

Specific training for implementation can be accessed here:

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/armstrong-institute/training-services/caring-for-the-caregiver

The University of Maryland offers a peer support based on RISE as well:

https://marylandpatientsafety.org/caregiver/

For a more detailed look at PSP and C4CG including links to articles, resources, and training programs, review this Executive Summary.