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Occupational therapists' responses to practice errors in physical rehabilitation settings
Linda Scheirton1, Keli Mu, Helene Lohman
1Center for Health Policy and Ethics, School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
Summary
Occupational therapists view practice errors broadly, encompassing physical and psychosocial factors. Despite distress, they learn from errors and implement practice changes, highlighting the need for improved training in patient safety and assertiveness.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Therapy
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
- Patient Safety
Background:
- Practice errors are common across healthcare professions but underexplored in occupational therapy.
- Systematic examination of occupational therapists' responses to practice errors is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate occupational therapists' experiences and responses to practice errors within physical rehabilitation settings.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative focus group methodology.
- 35 occupational therapists from four states participated in four focus groups.
- Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using NUD*IST Vivo software.
Main Results:
- Five themes emerged: error perception (against standards), causes (multifactorial), emotional impact (distress), practice impact (changes), and error management (honesty, initiative).
- Occupational therapists identified physical and psychosocial factors contributing to practice errors.
- Errors were perceived broadly, extending beyond individual actions.
Conclusions:
- Most identified practice errors were preventable.
- Therapists experienced significant emotional distress but valued learning from errors, leading to practice modifications.
- Findings suggest enhancing educational programs with clinical reasoning for patient safety and assertiveness training.