Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.
allnurses

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.
Discussion

Struggling to move forward

I am a Health care Support Worker for the NHS Staff Bank, and I posted in 2017 about being "Haunted by my mistake".

The mistake was that a patient had reported chest pain, and I forgot to pass it on to a staff nurse (as in, the thought completely left my head), as it was a busy point of the morning. The patient died 2 and a half hours later, and though I sought the advice of other nurses on here, I never told the nurses on the ward.

Despite the consoling I received on here, and from my mother (a qualified nurse), that particular moment hits me every now and then, but has been especially bad this year with my anxiety.

I believe it stems from my not taking accountability for my error, and I was just wondering if anyone has any advice on how you would move forward from here.

  • Quote

    • Featured Replies

    Your feelings sound identical to mine. I think there are much more healthcare workers out there that are suffering in silence like we are, but it is never talked about. And it is difficult for many to understand if they don't work in healthcare. I just want to say, you were not negligent. You did not purposely forget to tell someone. We have all forgotten to say or do something. And the patient would have been in contact with others after speaking with you. ❤️

     

  • Quote
    • Author

    Thank you, Marie ❤  I agree with you (and the podcast you shared) that a culture of openness and vulnerability where we talk about our worries and our regrets is what's needed to make us all better, more supportive caregivers.

    This site is a perfect example of what can happen when we all support each other openly ❤

  • Quote
    • Experts

    I would suggest, if you haven't done so already, talking to a professional about this situation and your anxiety related to it. 

  • Quote

    I would recommend EMDR therapy specifically. As healthcare providers we take on the trauma of our patients daily and if not addressed you will burnout, be your own worst enemy at work daily, and experience moral injury that builds up. Burnout and moral injury are different and moral injury applies more to your case. Moral injury “occurs when we bear witness to, perpetuate, or fail to prevent an act that transgresses our deeply held moral beliefs.” 99.999% of healthCare providers seek to do a great job and want our patients to be well. You did not go to work to purposely not pass on this information. It’s not just you there either. If I am the RN I know my patients, can walk past my patients and know they’re in distress. You are putting the blame solely on yourself when there are other licensed staff members on the floor and you work in a system that has many things out of your control: understaffing, acuity. If you reframe this experience in this way while going through trauma informed therapy, you may have failed to pass on information that could have helped but you did not cause your patient’s death. With cardiac events the patient may get treatment and still pass away. There are so many unknowns that you cannot place the blame solely on yourself. By doing so, you prevent yourself from giving thousands of future patients your 100% because of your own fear of failure. 

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6752815/

  • Quote

    • Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Add a Comment
    Go to topic listing

    Currently Reading 0

    • No registered users viewing this page.

    Account

    Navigation

    Search

    Search

    Configure browser push notifications
    Chrome (Android)
    1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
    2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
    3. Adjust your preference.
    Chrome (Desktop)
    1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
    2. Select Site settings.
    3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.