Second Victim and Resilience in OBGYN

Dr. Khalil’s efforts to improve quality and patient safety began almost a decade ago. When discussing how she is involved with quality and safety, Dr. Khalil describes her experiences with programs outside of her institution, such as Schwartz Rounds through the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, as well as those within her institution, including those conducted by the Vice Chair for Wellness and the Chief Wellness Officer at Mount Sinai. Throughout these programs, Dr. Khalil explains that the common thread is the opportunity to discuss a negative patient outcome or a harmful situation within the workplace within a safe environment. In Dr. Khalil’s personal experience, these programs have covered topics such as improving communication in a multidisciplinary team.

The physicians then transition to discuss the topic of “second victim,” which Dr. Khalil describes as the caregiver who witnesses a patient undergoing a traumatic event and that caregiver’s personal trauma they are then left to cope with. She expresses that these situations often require mental health support, especially from a community that understands clinically what is happening and also has the resources to provide the caregiver with the support they need to return to work more resilient. Ultimately, Dr. Khalil believes that culture is the key to fostering a safe environment for physicians, as well as all other people involved in a patient’s care. Dr. Khalil encourages those who may not have access to these resources to consider online resources (e.g., the Schwartz Center) or to look to other institutions as a framework to tailor programs that may work within your own hospital or institution.