Perceptions of U.S. and U.K. Incident Reporting Systems: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality and safety
• Health services research
• Medical informatics

Background:

• Incident reporting systems (IRSs) are crucial for identifying patient safety risks.
• Understanding healthcare providers' perceptions of IRSs is vital for system improvement.
• Comparing perceptions across different healthcare systems (U.S. vs. U.K.) offers valuable insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of literature on healthcare providers' perceptions of IRSs in the U.S. and U.K.
• To compare provider perceptions of IRSs between U.S. healthcare systems and the U.K.'s universal healthcare system.
• To identify common and distinct barriers and facilitators to IRS use.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review methodology utilized.
• Searched four electronic databases for relevant literature.
• Included articles published between January 2010 and March 2023, yielding 4863 initial articles.

Main Results:

• Eleven U.S. and eight U.K. articles met inclusion criteria.
• Identified individual barriers (e.g., fear of retribution, lack of clarity) and system barriers (e.g., time-consuming, lack of leadership acknowledgment).
• U.S. providers reported more individual barriers; U.K. providers expressed greater concern for professional culture.

Conclusions:

• Healthcare leadership is essential for creating 'just cultures' that encourage safety reporting.
• Nonpunitive environments are necessary for effective incident reporting.
• Sustainable improvements in patient care depend on leadership commitment to a culture of safety.