Factors Affecting the Failure to Report Medical Errors by Nurses Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Medical Error Analysis

Background:

• Medical errors pose a significant threat to patient safety in healthcare settings.
• Underreporting of medical errors is a persistent challenge in clinical practice, hindering quality improvement efforts.
• Understanding the barriers to error reporting is essential for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and prioritize factors contributing to the failure of nurses to report medical errors in Iranian teaching hospitals.
• To analyze the relative importance of management, nurse-related, and process-related factors in medical error underreporting.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study design was employed.
• Data were collected through a systematic review and a researcher-developed questionnaire administered to 131 nurses.
• The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was utilized for data analysis using Expert Choice software.

Main Results:

• Management-related factors emerged as the most significant barrier to medical error reporting (Weight = 0.595).
• Nurse-related factors were the second most important contributors to underreporting (Weight = 0.276).
• Factors associated with the error reporting process had the least impact (Weight = 0.128).

Conclusions:

• Organizational and management-related issues are the primary drivers of medical error underreporting by nurses.
• Interventions aimed at improving medical error reporting should focus on addressing systemic and management-level deficiencies.
• Enhancing the reporting culture and processes requires a multi-faceted approach, prioritizing leadership support and accountability.