The Institute of Medicine has estimated that 44,000 to 98,000 patients die
each year as a result of medical errors. (Paterick, Waterhouse, et. al, 2009). In
order to improve patient safety there requires a system in place that reports
medical errors and "near misses". Having transparency, early reporting, and
conducting root cause analysis will help minimize medical errors.
Organizations that implement policies and procedures as a result of medical
error investigations will not only identify and prevent future errors from
occurring. It will also limit the number of legal consequences that can occur
with medical errors. The multiple reasons for underreporting medical errors
are legal, financial, regulatory, and organizational concerns, as well as
personal guilt and remorse. (Paterick, Waterhouse, et. al, 2009).+There are
multiple barriers that healthcare professionals face when reporting medical
errors. The most apparent factor is blame, shame, and
repercussions.+Organizational culture also plays a role in reporting medical
errors, as well as a non-structured reporting system, and management
behavior towards reporting errors. Accountability is difficult when
management is quick to blame the individual for the error instead of
reviewing the process and the potential cause of the error.+
To overcome reporting barriers where non-fearful and non-blaming culture is
to educate and develop a culture where an uncomplicated reporting system is
devised that provides open feedback and support for management when
medical errors occur. Keeping mistakes quiet is a human impulse, and
trainees may be especially concerned about how disclosure might affect their
reviews. The organization will need to provide a nonpunitive culture so that
employees know that what is expected of them is openness and that their
evaluations won’t suffer as a result of reporting errors. (Brin, 2018)
References:
Paterick, Zachary R.,+Paterick, Barbara B.,+Waterhouse, Blake E., &+Paterick,
Timothy E. (2009) The Challenges of Transparency in Reporting Medical
Errors Journal of Patient Safety, Vol 5(4) p. 205-209
Website:+https://resolver-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/openurl?
sid=EBSCO
%3aedsjsr&genre=article&issn=15498417&ISBN=&volume=5&issue=4&da
te=20091201&spage=205&pages=&title=Journal+of+Patient+Safety&atitle=
The+Challenges+to+Transparency+in+Reporting+Medical+Errors&aulast=
&id=DOI%3a&site=ftf-live
Brin, D (2018) The Best Response to Medical Errors? Transparency
Website:+https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/best-response-medical-errors-
transparency+
