The Relationship Between Barriers to Medical Error Disclosure and Patient Safety Culture: A Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Nursing Research

Background:

• Patient safety culture influences error disclosure, but the precise relationship is not fully understood.
• Understanding barriers to medical error disclosure is vital for improving patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate nurses' perceived barriers to medical error disclosure.
• To identify factors influencing these barriers within a patient safety culture context.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study conducted in four hospitals in southwestern China.
• Electronic questionnaires surveyed registered nurses on demographics, patient safety culture, and barriers to error disclosure (C-BEDA tool).
• Descriptive and multiple linear regression analyses were employed.

Main Results:

• Financial concerns were the primary barrier to error disclosure, followed by psychological and knowledge barriers.
• Factors like communication openness, non-punitive responses, and teamwork influenced knowledge barriers.
• Organizational learning and continuous improvement impacted institutional barriers, while gender and supervisor expectations affected psychological barriers.

Conclusions:

• Addressing financial concerns, providing training, and offering psychological support are essential for effective medical error disclosure.
• Fostering a strong patient safety culture at the unit level, emphasizing open communication and continuous improvement, is paramount.