Medical Error and Under‑Reporting Causes from the Viewpoints of Nursing Managers: A Qualitative Study

Patient safety as a goal can be achieved by reporting medical errors (ME); however, most errors are never reported. The aim of this study is to explore the causes of ME, and the obstacles in reporting them amongst nurses.

We conducted semi‑structural interviews, with 12 nursing managers in the biggest teaching hospital in southern Iran (2015‑2016). The interview guide concentrated on the causes of ME and barriers in reporting them. All face‑to‑face interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.

In this study 4 main themes were extracted for the causes of ME: personal/social characteristics, nonprofessional practice, hospital related factors/organization contextual factors, and poor management. Also, 5 main themes (such as; personal characteristics, fear from reporting, nonprofessional practices, cultural and social factors, and error surveillance system features) were obtained with regards to barriers in reporting.

ME can be reduced by improving professional practice and better human resource management. Also, reporting errors can be increased by focusing on cultural and social factors