Attitudes to reporting medication error among differing healthcare professionals.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare
• Patient Safety
• Medical Error Analysis

Background:

• Medication error reporting is crucial for patient safety and healthcare system improvement.
• Understanding healthcare professionals' attitudes towards reporting is key to enhancing safety protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the attitudes of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists regarding medication error reporting.
• To identify factors influencing the likelihood of reporting medication errors.

Main Methods:

• A survey of 56 healthcare professionals at a tertiary referral hospital.
• Utilized a questionnaire with clinical scenarios and a Likert scale to assess reporting likelihood.
• Assessed responses based on the severity of patient outcome and drug administration route.

Main Results:

• Doctors were less likely to report less-serious medication errors (median 2/5).
• Nurses and pharmacists were more likely to report errors (median 5/5), even with fears of disciplinary action.
• Reporting likelihood increased for all professionals as patient outcomes worsened.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences exist in healthcare professionals' attitudes toward medication error reporting.
• Tailored strategies are needed to encourage reporting among different professional groups.
• Further research is necessary to improve medication error reporting rates and patient safety.