Adverse events as transitional markers - Using liminality to understand experiences of second victims

Healthcare professionals are socialized into a tacit, professional identity of competences and skills - to save lives, repair trauma facilitate good trustful relational care. When severe adverse events happen, healthcare may struggle accept their own fallibility, the event pose threat selfdeclared 'superior' or 'infallible' identity. The consequences sudden shift between 'potentially infallible HCP' fallible HC P' caused by an is analytical object this study. aim paper derive new understandings how HCPs in maternity services experience using Arnold van Gennep's Victor Turner's 'rites passage' theorizations concept liminality explain process transition two identities. Through five focus groups conducted June 2018 with midwives obstetricians-gynecologists, we have examined i) second victim experiences can be understood theories liminality, ii) organizational procedures Danish university hospital serve as ritual for involved aftermath events. findings suggest that inconsistency level support contributes chaos experienced professional. structure does not provide rites any other processes, except debriefings that, many cases, deficient. Since liminal states danger threat, because previous replaced ambiguity separation, lack clear rituals put further strain on HCP adding associated psychological social distress. Considering need structured within work environment prove useful when constructing adequate programs.