The second victim phenomenon in Latin America: a scoping review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.7978.4829Keywords:
Psychological Stress; Health Personnel; Adverse Events; Patient Safety; Latin America; Scoping ReviewAbstract
Objective: to map the existing evidence on the phenomenon of second victims in Latin American countries. Method: an exploratory review was carried out according to guidelines from the Joanna Briggs Institute, including studies on the second victim phenomenon among health personnel and health students in Latin America. The search was performed on the Scopus, PubMed, Ebsco, ProQuest, Journal Storage, Virtual Health Library and Google Scholar databases. Quantitative, qualitative, mixed, editorial, and case reports published between 2014 and 2025 in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, were considered. Results: 25 studies were included, most of them conducted in Brazil (52.0%), which focused on a range of healthcare professionals and students. The main psychological consequences included guilt, recurrent thoughts and sleep disturbances. The lack of studies on structured support programs in Latin America is a highlight. Conclusion: the second victim phenomenon is frequent in Latin America, predominantly impacting psychological aspects on health personnel. Lack of regional interventions underscore the need for specific support programs, highligthing the importance of coping strategies and institutional support to strengthen patient well-being, retention, and safety culture.
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