Increasing Patient Safety Event Reporting Among Pediatric Residents.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• Resident physicians, as frontline healthcare providers, frequently underreport patient safety events (PSE).
• Underreporting of PSE by residents hinders institutional efforts to improve patient care and safety protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and assess a longitudinal, multi-pronged strategy aimed at increasing the number of patient safety events reported by resident physicians.
• To enhance resident engagement in identifying and reporting safety concerns within a healthcare institution.

Main Methods:

• A series of interventions were introduced between October 2018 and April 2021.
• Interventions included formal education, raising leader awareness, direct resident feedback on PSE, and financial incentives for solution development.
• Monthly reporting rates were collected to evaluate intervention impact.

Main Results:

• The mean monthly PSE reports increased from 0-2 at baseline to 10.4 during the study period.
• Following the third intervention, the average reported PSE reached 12.3, with the goal of >13 PSEs per month consistently met by study end.
• The most substantial increase in reporting correlated with residents receiving positive, timely feedback on their submissions.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive strategy involving education, stakeholder recognition, and direct feedback effectively boosted PSE reporting by pediatric residents.
• The developed strategies are replicable for other residency programs aiming to improve resident participation in safety initiatives.
• Further research is needed to ensure residents understand organizational-level PSE management and prevention.