RD05 (2016) Critical Incident Support

Patient and family:

· Open disclosure

· Truthful description of events

· Apologise but not obliged to admit fault

· Anaesthetist involved should be involved at some point

Needs:

· Customised to the individual

· Debrief should be available but not compuslory

· MDO support

· Personal support – family, mentor, peers

· Professional support – psychologist, psychiatrist

· Time off – due to impaired judgement + lots of paperwork; duration variable

· Duration of support may be very long if gets sued

Risks:

· Dysfunctional behaviour

· Adjustment disorder

· PTSD

· Early retirement

· Substance abuse

· Suicide

· Debrief might help, esp if members known to each other. Person conducting it should be trained.

· Root cause analysis must be performed

· Confidentiality very important

· No use having a judgemental culture

· Department needs a dedicated support person

· Hospital needs a trained critical incident support person (usually a psychologist)