How perioperative nurses define, attribute causes of, and react to intraoperative nursing errors

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Quality

Background:

• Nursing errors, particularly in the operating room, present significant patient safety risks.
• Understanding the factors influencing these errors and nurses' responses is vital for improving care.
• Previous research has not fully explored the links between error management, emotional impact, and practice adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define intraoperative nursing errors, their causes, and circumstances.
• To investigate perioperative nurses' reactions to these errors.
• To examine relationships between coping strategies, emotional distress, and practice changes post-error.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, correlational study design was employed.
• Data were collected on error definitions, causes, nurse reactions, coping mechanisms, emotional distress, and practice changes.
• Statistical analyses explored the predictive relationships among these variables.

Main Results:

• Accepting responsibility and self-control significantly predicted emotional distress.
• Seeking social support and planful problem-solving predicted constructive practice changes.
• Escape/avoidance strategies were the strongest predictors of defensive practice changes.

Conclusions:

• Nurses' coping strategies significantly influence their emotional responses and subsequent practice modifications after errors.
• Interventions promoting social support and problem-solving may foster positive practice changes.
• Addressing defensive responses is key to mitigating negative impacts of errors on practice and safety.