Increasing Awareness of Peer-Support Resources Among Anesthesia Providers

Michelle Schiltz

Background: Adverse clinical events in anesthesia practice can cause significant psychological distress among providers, often described as the “second victim” phenomenon. Although peer-support programs have proven effective in promoting recovery and resilience, awareness and usage often remain low due to stigma, limited visibility, and cultural barriers. Purpose: This quality improvement project aimed to evaluate strategies to increase awareness, perceived accessibility, and utilization of two existing second victim support programs (ASAP and SupportU). Methods: A Quality Improvement approach guided by the Plan–Do–Study–Act (PDSA) framework was implemented within an academic anesthesia department in Northern California over approximately 4 months. Baseline data were collected from members of the anesthesia department, including Anesthesiologists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Anesthesia Residents, and Anesthesia Techs, using an adapted version of the Second Victim Experience and Support Tool (SVEST). The intervention included a structured educational presentation at a departmental wellness meeting, distribution of informational flyers, and placement of posters with QR codes in clinical areas. Anonymous pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed awareness, perceived value, and utilization of support resources. Descriptive statistics and comparative analyses were performed using Qualtrics. Findings: Of the total sample (N = 84), 52.4% completed the pre-implementation assessment (n = 44), and 47.6% completed the post-implementation assessment (n = 40). Initial awareness of peer-support programs was 77.3%, which decreased to 32.5% post-implementation, likely due to differences in assessment wording and specificity. Utilization remained low (13.6% pre-implementation; 15.0% post-implementation). Positive perceived value declined from 78.8% to 52.5%, with a greater proportion of neutral responses. Findings suggest that brief educational interventions alone may not be sufficient to meaningfully change engagement behaviors. Discussion: Although providers recognize the importance of peer-support resources, notable barriers to their utilization remain. Lasting improvement requires cultural normalization of help-seeking, visible leadership support, and integration of peer-support activation into routine clinical workflows. Strengthening second victim programs may improve provider resilience, retention, and patient safety in high-acuity settings. Keywords: second victim, anesthesia providers, peer support, quality improvement, PDSA, provider well-being

Increasing Awareness of Peer-Support Resources Among Anesthesia Providers

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