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Objective: To describe midwives' and obstetricians' experiences on the level of support from colleagues and managers in Danish labor wards following adverse events., Design, Setting and Participants: A 2012 National survey of Danish obstetricians and midwives was conducted to assess the level of support received in the workplace., Main Outcome Measures: Scales on social community at work, social support from colleagues and immediate superiors, and use of support mechanisms on labor wards after serious adverse events were assessed., Results: 2098 midwives and obstetricians were invited to complete the survey (response rate 59%), and the analyses were carried out on the 593 respondents who had been involved in at least one traumatic childbirth at their current place of work. Respondents experienced high levels of social support from colleagues and social community at work, midwives significantly higher than obstetricians, and 95% of respondents had talked to colleagues about an adverse event. Respondents generally experienced low levels of social support and feedback from immediate superiors, and only 49% had talked to their immediate superior about an adverse event. Fifty% believed that the hospital had a clear process through which they could report adverse events, and 44% knew how to access the necessary confidential emotional support at work., Conclusions: Midwives and obstetricians experienced high levels of social support and feedback from colleagues who are the most frequent individuals to consult after adverse events. We strongly suggest developing second victim support programmes with a focus on offering peer support from qualified and trained peers., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

When a life is lost or severely impaired during childbirth, the midwife and obstetrician involved may experience feelings of guilt in the aftermath. Through three empirical cases, the paper examines the sense of guilt in the context of the current patient safety culture in healthcare where a blame-free approach is promoted in the aftermath of adverse events. The purpose is to illustrate how healthcare professionals may experience guilt without being at fault after adverse events, and Gamlund's theory on forgiveness without blame is used as the theoretical framework for this analysis. Philosophical insight has proven to be a useful resource in dealing with psychological issues of guilt and Gamlund's view on error and forgiveness elucidates an interesting dilemma in the field of traumatic events and medical harm in healthcare, where healthcare professionals experience that well-intended actions may cause injury, harm or even death to their patients. Failing to recognise and acknowledge guilt or guilty feelings may preclude self-forgiveness, which could have a negative impact on the recovery of midwives and obstetricians after adverse events. Developing and improving support systems for healthcare professionals is a multi-factorial task, and the authors suggest that the narrow focus on medico-legal and patient safety perspectives is complemented with moral philosophical perspectives to promote non-judgemental recognition and acknowledgement of guilt and of the fallible nature of medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]