Acute Stress in Health Workers in Colombia 2017-2021: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: Analyze the presence of acute stress response after adverse events in human talent in Colombian health institutions from 2017 to 2021. Methods: Cross-sectional study of prevalence, carried out on 838 members of the human talent in health (professionals, technicians, technologists, and auxiliaries) of Colombian health institutions in the study period with the application of the EASE instrument. Univariate analysis using descriptive statistical techniques, chi-square and Student's t-test, and bivariate analysis with a Poisson regression model using the institucional SPSS v. 26. Results: The prevalence of adverse events in the last 5 years was 33.8%, presenting levels of acute stress qualifying as Medium-high emotional overload at 21.91%, while extreme acute stress was at 3.53%. The prevalence of risk for presenting acute stress after being involved in an adverse event was PR: 1.30 (CI: 1.24-1.36). Conclusion: Acute stress in human talent after adverse events is limiting health and care capacity and must be efficiently addressed by health institutions. Psychosocial risk is linked within the framework of the patient safety program and the institutional occupational health and safety management systems.

Root Cause? Yes of course … but then what?

[EXCERPT]. Analyzing the causes of unsafe care can reduce the number of ‘near misses’ (incidents that may cause harm to patients) and adverse events (that actually produce harm). This is an important mandate for health care organizations committed to providing a safe environment for patients. Although guaranteeing absolute safety in all interventions is not always possible, hospitals and other health care institutions implement safety practices and surveillance methods to understand how these unsafe incidents occur. In many cases, these incidents were not generated by a single cause; and remote causes are as significant as more proximate ones...