Caring Today

Caring Today

Assessment of Nurses’ Attitude to Barriers of Medical Errors Disclosure to Patients in Teaching Hospitals Related to Lorestan University of Medical Sciences

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Instructor, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
2 Nursing PhD student in Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, Faculty member Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
3 Instructor, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
4 Instructor, Departments of Statistics and Epidemiology, Faculty Member of Health and Nutrition, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
Abstract
Background & Aim:Disclosing errors to patients is an important part of patient's care that can serve as an important tool for improving patient safety but the prevalence of disclosure, and factors affecting it, are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the Nurses’ attitude to barriers of medical errors to disclosure patients.
 Materials and Methods: In this descriptive – cross sectional study 180 nurses working in khorramabad teaching hospitals were selected through non-probability quota and convenience sampling. The data collection tool was a valid and reliable questionnaire with 28 questions that evaluated nurses’ attitude barriers of medical errors disclosure to patients in four domains including organization, staff, patients and nature of errors by a 5-degree Likert type scale. The data collection method was self completed. Data were analyzed with statistical methods including Chi – Square, one way ANOVA and independent t test.
 Results: Mean of nurses’ attitude related to barriers of medical errors disclosure to patients were 80.35± 14.4. Means of Nurses’ attitude to disclosure barriers of medical errors were about agents related to staff 15.1 ± 3.03, nature of error15.2 ± 3.27, organization 21.82 ± 7.35, and patient 28.38 ± 6.21.    
 Conclusion: Nurses’ attitude to barriers of medical errors disclosure to patients was moderate and the most important barrier was the organizational factors. So it is suggested that control errors based on a systematic approach be carried out for the investigation and eliminate long the existing barriers and to improve possibility of error disclosing and patients safety. 
Keywords

Volume 7, 24-25
The journal has been published as Aflaak
March 2011
Pages 55-63