Barriers to Medical Error Reporting

International Journal of Preventive Medicine (Int J Prev Med)2008-78021320151010Barriers to Medical Error Reporting15901590ENDepartment of Epidemiology, Modeling of Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, HamadanClinical Governance Center, Vice-chancellery for Treatment, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, HamadanClinical Governance Center, Vice-chancellery for Treatment, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan20151010Background: This study was conducted to explore the prevalence of medical error underreporting and associated barriers.Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed from September to December 2012. Five hospitals, affiliated with Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, in Hamedan,Iran were investigated. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Participants consisted of physicians, nurses, midwives, residents, interns, and staffs of radiology and laboratory departments.Results: Overall, 50.26% of subjects had committed but not reported medical errors. The main reasons mentioned for underreporting were lack of effective medical error reporting system (60.0%), lack of proper reporting form (51.8%), lack of peer supporting a person who has committed an error (56.0%), and lack of personal attention to the importance of medical errors (62.9%). The rate of committing medical errors was higher in men (71.4%), age of 50–40 years (67.6%), less-experienced personnel (58.7%), educational level of MSc (87.5%), and staff of radiology department (88.9%).Conclusions: This study outlined the main barriers to reporting medical errors and associated factors that may be helpful for healthcare organizations in improving medical error reporting as an essential component for patient safety enhancement.Keywords: Iran, medical error, patient safety, reporting systemhttp://ijpm.mui.ac.ir/index.php/ijpm/article/view/1590http://ijpm.mui.ac.ir/index.php/ijpm/article/download/1590/1880