Second Victim Program
The Second Victim Program is used to support an employee who has been involved in a dangerous incident affecting a client or patient and who, as a result, has experienced negative psychological effects.
A dangerous incident causing a strong psychological reaction may be either a near miss event or an actual adverse incident. Occupational accidents can also trigger similar reactions.
In such situations, it is appropriate to offer the employee individual support to help maintain their ability to work. Every supervisor needs to know how support can be provided and be able to initiate support measures when necessary. The program can be applied flexibly depending on the situation.
The client/patient and their family members are the primary victims of a dangerous incident. Social and healthcare professionals, along with rescue and security services personnel who are involved in such incidents, may experience a reaction known as the second-victim phenomenon.
The supervisor must clarify the following when an incident causes a strong psychological response in an employee:
- Are the client/patient and their family members safe and well?
- Are the employees safe and well?
- Are the facilities and work environments safe?
- What has happened?
- Are all necessary parties aware of the incident?
Support measures for the employee involved in the dangerous incident are initiated after this review. If the incident is serious, the organization begins an investigation according to its standard procedures.
A meeting is arranged for the employee involved in the incident, as well as for the client/patient and their family.
A key part of the meeting is either expressing regret or offering an apology to the client/patient. This is done on behalf of the organization as well. Whether to apologize or express regret depends on the nature of the incident.
It is also explained that the organization will learn from the situation to prevent similar incidents in the future. It is important to demonstrate to the client/patient and their family that the matter is taken seriously. For the employee involved, it is essential to receive support during this process.
Table 1. Stages of the Second Victim Program
Print the description of the Second Victim Program here (PDF).
Print the stages of the Second Victim Program: (png) or (pdf)
A PowerPoint presentation is also available for introducing the tool to its users.
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This tool was developed by a group of experts specializing in the second victim phenomenon, coordinated under Strategic Objective 2: Thriving and Competent Professionals.
The tool has been circulated for comments within the Centre for Client and Patient Safety’s networks. It was approved by the Expert Council on 13 June 2025.