Comparing the Attitudes and Knowledge Toward Incident Reporting in Junior Physicians and Nurses in a District General Hospital

Objectives The practice of open reporting and instituting a blame-free culture improves a system's ability to deal with risky processes, and the attitude of staff toward safety processes is a critical factor. We compared the attitudes and knowledge of incident reporting between junior physicians and nurses in a district general hospital. Methods A questionnaire was designed to examine health care workers' attitudes toward reporting and errors. It also assessed knowledge of incident reporting and attitudes toward training in patient safety. Staff nurses (n = 50) and junior physicians (n = 50) were sampled on a voluntary basis and completed the survey online and anonymously. Results Although similar proportions of each group knew a safety organization (70% of nurses versus 58% of physicians, P = 0.21), significantly more nurses had filled out an incident report (96% of nurses versus 52% of physicians, P < 0.001). The physicians felt that they did not have sufficient training in patient safety (66% of physicians versus 24% of nurses, P < 0.001), and consequently, fewer felt confident with patient safety issues (38% versus 72%, P < 0.001) The majority of all respondents agreed that incident reporting was beneficial (69%, P = 0.001), although a large proportion also felt that they would be blamed for errors (61%, P = 0.03). Conclusions This study suggests that junior physicians are lacking in confidence and disengaged with incident reporting. Nurses generally have a more positive and confident view toward patient safety issues and thus are more involved in reporting practices. Health care institutions should focus on promoting a safety culture in the organization through blame-free incident reporting systems. This should include ensuring that junior physicians obtain a comprehensive education in incident reporting and patient safety.