Surgical incidents and their impact on operating theatre staff: qualitative study (22 December 2020)

Summary

Patient safety incidents can have significant effects on both patients and health professionals, including emotional distress and depression. This, published in British Journal of Surgery (BJS) Open, study explores the personal and professional impacts of surgical incidents on operating theatre staff.

This study, published in BJS Open, involved 45 face-to-face interviews, with participants including surgeons, anaesthetists, scrub nurses, ODPs and healthcare assistants. The authors state that the results indicate that more support is needed for operating theatre staff involved in surgical incidents. They also suggest that there needs to be greater transparency and better information during the investigation of such incidents for staff.