RT Article
T1 Ethical issues in research with second victims: A scoping review
JF Nursing ethics
VO 31
IS 8
SP 1413
OP 1427
A1 Catalán, Lucía
A1 Kappes, María
A1 Morgado, Gabriela
A1 Oliveira, Déborah
A2 Kappes, María
A2 Morgado, Gabriela
A2 Oliveira, Déborah
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1909415057
AB BackgroundSecond victim is the name given to the healthcare personnel—most often a nursing professional—involved with the error that led to the adverse event to a patient and who, as a result, have experienced negative psychological effects. Research with second victims has increased over the years, however concerns exist with regards to the ethical risks imposed upon these individuals.AimTo explore the extent to which research with second victims of adverse events in healthcare settings adhere to ethical requirements.MethodsA scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework and using the following databases: PUBMED, Web of Science, and SCOPUS. Original research of any study design focused on second victims and published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese in 2014–2023 were included. A critical narrative approach was used to discuss the findings.Ethical considerationsThe review followed ethical guidelines emphasizing accurate authorship attribution and truthful data reporting.ResultsFifteen studies using qualitative (n = 2), quantitative (n = 10), and mixed-method (n = 3) designs were included. Over half were not assessed by a research ethics committee, with questionable reasons given by the authors. One-third did not refer to having used an informed consent. In two studies, participants were recruited by their workplace superiors, which could potentially right to autonomy and voluntary participation.ConclusionOver half of the included studies with second victims did not comply with fundamental ethical aspects, with risk to inflict respect for individual autonomy, confidentiality, and of not causing any harm to participants.Implications for nursing researchHealthcare personnel involved in adverse events are most often nursing professionals; therefore, any breach of ethics in research with this population is likely to directly affect their rights as research participants. We provide recommendations to promote better research practices with second victims towards safeguarding their rights as research participants.
K1 second victim
K1 scientific misconduct
K1 patient safety
K1 Health Personnel
K1 ethics research
K1 adverse event
DO 10.1177/09697330241238345