Adverse Event Reporting Priorities: An Integrative Review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality and safety
• Medical error analysis
• Hospital administration

Background:

• Adverse events are a significant cause of mortality in hospitals, yet they are frequently underreported.
• Underreporting of adverse events poses a critical challenge to patient safety initiatives in healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize adverse event reporting priorities in acute care hospitals.
• To identify key areas for improvement in adverse event reporting systems through an integrative review of existing research.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across nursing, medicine, and communication databases.
• The review included quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research articles published between January 1, 1999, and May 3, 2021.

Main Results:

• Four primary priorities for adverse event reporting emerged: understanding and mitigating barriers, enhancing perceptions of reporting within healthcare hierarchies, improving organizational culture, and refining outcomes measurement.
• Barriers include fear of retribution, lack of feedback, and difficulties in challenging authority, highlighting the need for trust-building in hierarchical systems.

Conclusions:

• A significant gap exists in the literature regarding adverse event reporting in acute care hospitals.
• Further research is essential across all identified priorities to develop effective strategies for reducing adverse events and improving patient safety.
• Findings can guide clinicians and researchers in developing future interventions and research questions.