Following patient safety incidents, research from the universities of Keele and Manchester has found that the impact on doctors can be profound and long-lasting.
Researchers at the universities of Keele and Manchester have found that patient safety incidents often have lasting emotional impacts on GPs, with doctors describing feelings of guilt, anxiety, self-blame, rumination and loss of confidence following incidents.
The research, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration and the NIHR School for Primary Care Research, found that these experiences contributed to defensive practice, sickness absence, changes in working arrangements and, for some, questioning their long-term future in general practice.
“Patient safety incidents are an inevitable reality of complex healthcare systems, and our findings show that the impact on GPs can be profound and long-lasting,” said James Tawse, lead researcher and doctoral student at the University of Manchester.
“Recovery following incidents should not be viewed as the responsibility of individual GPs alone. Organisations, leaders, and healthcare systems all have a role in creating compassionate, blame-free environments where clinicians feel supported to reflect, learn, recover, and continue providing safe care,” he added.
Barriers to recovery
The research looked at the emotional and professional impact of patient safety incidents on GPs, as well as the support mechanisms that can help them move on from these events.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 GPs. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Participants were eligible if they had been involved in a patient safety incident in general practice, spanning near misses to events resulting in patient harm.
Barriers to recovery included heavy workloads, limited time and resources, fear of judgement, professional isolation and stressful external investigations (such as referral to the General Medical Committee), which often made it more difficult for clinicians to seek support and recover following incidents.
The findings suggest that improving recovery after patient safety incidents requires a systems-focused and blame-free approach, rather than relying on individual practitioner resilience. Researchers suggest that governing bodies have an important role in addressing structural barriers such as workload pressures and access to support, while practice leaders and teams should foster cultures based on compassion and non-punitive support.
“Given the rising workload in general practice, it is vital that more formal support is offered to GPs, not just when a PSI occurs, but to enable them to manage everyday work,” said Carolyn Chew-Graham, professor of general practice research at Keele University, who also contributed to the research.
