Swiss medical weekly
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Swiss medical weekly · Jan 2009
ReviewThe emotional impact of medical error involvement on physicians: a call for leadership and organisational accountability.
Involvement in errors often results in serious health effects, emotional distress, as well as performance and work-related consequences in staff members, in particular physicians. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate current evidence on a) the impact of involvement in medical errors on physicians, b) needs and experiences in coping with the experience of error, and c) interventions to support physicians involved in errors. ⋯ Many professionals respond to error with serious emotional distress, and these emotions can imprint a permanent emotional scar. Given the significant burden on physicians' health, well-being and performance associated with medical errors, health care institutions and clinical leaders have to take accountability and provide staff with formal and informal systems of support.