The Story of MITSS: Medically Induced Trauma Support Services
Congress on Nursing Practice develops program for nurses affected by an adverse event

It was just another routine ankle surgery for Linda Kenney of Mansfield on that
November morning in 1999. She had previously experienced 19 surgeries in her 37 years, resulting from a birth defect of bilateral club feet. Linda urged her husband, Kevin, to go to work and he reluctantly kissed her goodbye in the pre-holding area at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

It was also just another ordinary day for the anesthesiologist assigned to the case, Rick van Pelt, M.D., as he prepared to administer a local nerve block. What would transpire in the following hours, days and months however would transform both their lives and lead them on a journey fraught with emotional upheaval, frustration with a health care system that provided little or no support for those involved in a medical trauma, and ultimately a resolve to change the system that had failed them.

While administering the local nerve block to Linda, the medication was inadvertently delivered to her circulatory system. She became disoriented, experienced a grand mal seizure, and progressed to full cardiac arrest. Heroic efforts on the part of the medical team, in addition to the availability of a cardiac team coincidentally prepared for a procedure scheduled for another patient, saved Linda’s life. She awoke a day later in the ICU with no recollection of the previous day’s events and began the arduous task of physically healing from the ordeal. Dr. van Pelt’s efforts to communicate with his patient were discouraged by medical staff, and Linda’s family—in a protective stance —thwarted his efforts to meet with her. Within a week of her discharge from the hospital, Linda received a personal letter from Dr. van Pelt apologizing for the unfortunate event. But having more pressing matters to attend to, Linda put the communication aside.

Over the next six months Linda’s healing progressed, leaving her without any additional long-term physical disability. Her family and friends, originally devastated by her medical trauma, had begun to move on with their lives. Linda’s initial gratitude at "just being alive", however, began to wane as able to patients and families involved in a medical trauma.

Six months after the incident, Linda was able to speak on the phone with Dr. van Pelt who had by then relocated to Seattle. They began an open and honest dialogue about the event with the agreement to meet and speak personally should their paths cross again. When Dr. van Pelt subsequently returned to the Boston area, Linda and he met for coffee. During that meeting, they spoke candidly about how the event had affected each of their lives. What struck Linda from her conversation with Dr. van Pelt was the lack of support services available to clinicians involved in adverse medical events. Thus, she became committed to advocating for and implementing those support systems that were sorely lacking, in her case, for patients and families as well as for clinicians. Her goal was to prevent others from suffering the emotional aftermath that she and her physician had experienced. Linda’s dedication to these ideals culminated in the formation of Medically Induced Trauma Support Services (MITSS).

MITSS is a non-profit organization incorporated in 2002 whose mission is “to support healing and restore hope” to those who have been negatively affected by an adverse medical event. MITSS defines medically induced trauma as an unexpected complication due to a medical/surgical procedure, medical/systems error, and other circumstances that affect the overall well being of an individual and/or family member. MITSS’ goal is to allow individuals to process adverse medical events in a positive manner in order to move forward both personally and professionally.

Since its inception, MITSS has provided ongoing structured therapeutic educational groups led by a licensed psychologist for patients and family members. They have also participated in various conferences and workshops on the local and national level in an effort to increase awareness of the critical need for support services. Under Linda Kenney’s direction, MITSS has embarked on an aggressive outreach effort to the medical community in order to shine a spotlight on its core issue: the need to provide support to all those negatively affected by a medical trauma. MITSS has assembled a strong board of directors from diverse backgrounds with solid representation in the fields of nursing, pharmacy and medicine.

MITSS is currently collaborating with the MNA on a program designed to bring support services to nurses affected by medical trauma. Led by a licensed therapist, the MITSS nurses’ group will begin in November 2004 and will be held weekly over the course of six weeks. The MNA has set up a confidential phone line for nurses who have been impacted emotionally by an experience associated with adverse medical outcomes. If you are a nurse who has been involved in an adverse medical event and would be interested in enrolling in this group, would like to speak with someone confidentially, or if you would just like more information, please call the MNA MITSS line at 781.830.5770 or call MITSS directly at 1.888.36MITSS.

The MITSS approach is one of acknowledgment and support. It is an all inclusive model recognizing that not only do patients and families suffer greatly from medical trauma, but medical professionals do as well. If an adverse medical event has affected your emotional well-being, personally, profession professionally, or both, call now and begin your journey of healing.

A special note: Linda Kenney and Rick van Pelt were the keynote speakers at the MNA Annual Convention on Oct. 8 at 9:15 a.m. at the Hyatt Harborside Hotel, Logan Airport, Boston.