Factors Associated With Nurses' Intention to Report Medical and Care Errors: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality and Safety
• Nursing Practice
• Patient Safety Research

Background:

• Medical and care errors significantly risk patient safety, harming over 10% annually.
• Underreporting of errors by nurses persists, with only about 20% of incidents reported.
• Identifying factors influencing nurses' error reporting intention is crucial for improving patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and identify factors associated with nurses' intention to report medical and care errors.
• To understand the multifaceted influences on error reporting behaviors in nursing.
• To inform strategies for enhancing error reporting and patient safety.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of 27 articles.
• Searches conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar.
• Keywords included medical errors, care errors, intention to report, and nurses.

Main Results:

• Interpersonal factors (attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control) significantly relate to reporting intention.
• Organizational factors (safety culture, nonpunitive responses, communication, support, learning, leadership) positively influence reporting.
• Demographic factors (age, education, experience, prior error exposure) also impact reporting behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Nurses' intention to report medical errors is influenced by a complex interplay of individual, interpersonal, and organizational factors.
• Promoting a positive reporting culture requires addressing psychological safety, leadership, and organizational support.
• Understanding these factors is essential for developing effective interventions to improve patient safety through enhanced error reporting.