Reducing Nurses' Barriers to Reporting Adverse Events Using a WeChat-Based Cognitive Load Training Platform: An...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Safety
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Reporting adverse events is crucial for patient safety.
• Barriers to reporting can hinder the identification and prevention of medical errors.
• Innovative training methods are needed to overcome these reporting barriers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a Cognitive Load Theory (CLT)-based WeChat training platform in reducing barriers to adverse event reporting among clinical nurses.
• To assess the impact of the CLT-based platform on nurses' awareness, intention, and habit of reporting adverse events.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 400 clinical nurses from a tertiary general hospital.
• The experimental group utilized a CLT-based WeChat platform for 12 weeks, while the control group received conventional training.
• Comparison of scores for barriers to reporting, reporting awareness, intention, and habit between the two groups.

Main Results:

• The experimental group showed significantly lower scores for barriers to reporting, particularly in punitive culture and reporting process dimensions.
• Nurses in the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher awareness, intention, and habit scores for reporting safety events.
• The CLT-based platform improved reporting behaviors, including submitting reports and discussing events with colleagues, across all severities.

Conclusions:

• The CLT-based WeChat training platform is an effective model for reducing nurses' barriers to adverse event reporting.
• This intervention enhances nurses' reporting awareness, intention, and behaviors, contributing to improved nursing care quality and patient safety.