In this episode, Drs. Mark Hoffman and Amy Park invite Dr. Susan Khalil, a board-certified OB/GYN and fellowship-trained Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgeon at Mount Sinai in New York, to speak about the topic of second victim and fostering resilience in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

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Reflect on how this Podcast applies to your day-to-day and earn free AMA PRA Category 1 CMEs: https://earnc.me/FlFfqZ

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SHOW NOTES

Dr. Khalil’s efforts to improve quality and patient safety began almost a decade ago. When discussing how she is involved with quality and safety, Dr. Khalil describes her experiences with programs outside of her institution, such as Schwartz Rounds through the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, as well as those within her institution, including those conducted by the Vice Chair for Wellness and the Chief Wellness Officer at Mount Sinai. Throughout these programs, Dr. Khalil explains that the common thread is the opportunity to discuss a negative patient outcome or a harmful situation within the workplace within a safe environment. In Dr. Khalil’s personal experience, these programs have covered topics such as improving communication in a multidisciplinary team.

The physicians then transition to discuss the topic of “second victim,” which Dr. Khalil describes as the caregiver who witnesses a patient undergoing a traumatic event and that caregiver’s personal trauma they are then left to cope with. She expresses that these situations often require mental health support, especially from a community that understands clinically what is happening and also has the resources to provide the caregiver with the support they need to return to work more resilient. Ultimately, Dr. Khalil believes that culture is the key to fostering a safe environment for physicians, as well as all other people involved in a patient’s care. Dr. Khalil encourages those who may not have access to these resources to consider online resources (e.g., the Schwartz Center) or to look to other institutions as a framework to tailor programs that may work within your own hospital or institution.

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RESOURCES

The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare:

https://www.theschwartzcenter.org/programs/schwartz-rounds/

Khalil S, Ascher-Walsh C. Advancing Patient Safety Science While Not Losing Focus of the Big Picture: Improving Patient Care. J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2022 May;29(5):581-582. doi: 10.1016/j.jmig.2022.03.003. Epub 2022 Mar 11. PMID: 35283322.

Association of Academic Surgery Presidential Address by Dr. Carrie Cunningham Lubitz:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaNBH4UPHv4