Section 4: Best Practices for Workplace Peer Support Programs in Healthcare organizations
The distress caused by patient safety incidents (PSIs), particularly harmful incidents, can have negative effects on care providers’ health and well-being and the safety of patient care.
Various studies estimate that 10.4 up to 43.3 percent of healthcare workers are traumatized after a PSI. Creating a Safe Space is designed for healthcare organizations seeking ways to support health professionals who are emotionally traumatized after a PSI.
This section provides a step-by-step approach to help healthcare organizations succeed in developing a peer support program, recommendations on how to recruit and train peer supporters, and how best to ensure the spread and sustainability of the program.
The comprehensive guideline was created in collaboration with a team of healthcare experts in Canada who worked in the field of peer support programs. Their experience and understanding were invaluable.
