Medical Errors in Iowa: Prevalence and Patients' Perspectives.

OBJECTIVES: The following primary objectives of this study were to: (1) establish baselines of prevalence and causes of medical errors experienced by Iowans in medical settings, (2) determine whether Iowa patients were informed of the errors by the responsible healthcare providers, (3) understand reasons why Iowans who experienced medical errors did or did not report the errors, and (4) discover how Iowans view mandatory reporting of medical errors. METHODS: A total of 1010 Iowa adults took part in a telephone survey in summer 2017. Interviews were completed via random landlines and random digit dialing of cell phone numbers. RESULTS: Nearly one fifth of surveyed Iowa adults (18.8%) reported being involved in a medical error in their own care or in the care of someone close to them, and yet only four in 10 (39.1%) were notified of the error by the responsible provider. Most Iowans strongly agree that Iowa hospitals (79.5%), physicians (74.1%), and nursing homes (82.2%) should be required to report all medical errors to the patient and to a state agency. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of Iowans will experience a medical error. They also desire full transparency from healthcare providers with respect to medical errors, including notifying the patient when an error occurs and mandating that providers report errors to a state-based agency. Iowa regulators should carefully assess and initiate stringent regulatory guidelines for mandatory reporting of medical errors.

Employment status matters: a statewide survey of quality-of-life, prevention behaviors, and absenteeism and presenteeism.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate quality-of-life (QoL), primary care, health insurance, prevention behaviors, absenteeism, and presenteeism in a statewide sample of the unemployed, self-employed, and organizationally employed. METHODS: A statewide survey of 1602 Iowans included items from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention QoL and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey prevention behavior questionnaires used to assess employee well-being; their indicator results are related to World Health Organization's Health and Work Performance Questionnaire-derived absenteeism and presenteeism scores. RESULTS: The unemployed exhibited poorer QoL and prevention behaviors; the self-employed exhibited many better QoL scores due largely to better prevention behaviors than those employed by organizations. Higher QoL measures and more prevention behaviors are associated with lower absenteeism and lower presenteeism. CONCLUSIONS: Employment status is related to measures of well-being, which are also associated with absenteeism and presenteeism.

An employee total health management-based survey of Iowa employers.

OBJECTIVE: To implement an Employee Total Health Management (ETHM) model-based questionnaire and provide estimates of model program elements among a statewide sample of Iowa employers. METHODS: Survey a stratified random sample of Iowa employers, and characterize and estimate employer participation in ETHM program elements. RESULTS: Iowa employers are implementing less than 30% of all 12 components of ETHM, with the exception of occupational safety and health (46.6%) and workers' compensation insurance coverage (89.2%), but intend modest expansion of all components in the coming year. CONCLUSIONS: The ETHM questionnaire-based survey provides estimates of progress Iowa employers are making toward implementing components of Total Worker Health programs.