Medical error reporting among doctors and nurses in a Nigerian hospital: A cross-sectional survey.

AIM: To compare doctors' and nurses' perceptions of factors influencing medical error reporting. BACKGROUND: In Nigeria, there is limited information on determinants of error reporting and systems. METHODS: From the total workforce (N = 600), 140 nurses and 90 doctors were selected by random sampling and completed the questionnaire February to March 2017. RESULTS: All 140 nurses and 90 doctors approached responded. Inter-professional differences in response to sentinel events showed that 55/140, 39.3% nurses and 48/90, 53.3% doctors would never report wrong medicines administered and 49/138, 35.5% nurses and 35/90, 38.9% doctors would never report a haemolytic transfusion error. Some respondents (72/140, 51.4% nurses vs. 29/90, 32.2% doctors) were unaware of reporting systems. Most (77/140, 55% nurses vs. 48/90, 53.3% doctors) considered these to be ineffective and confounded by a 'blame culture'. Perceived barriers included lack of confidentiality; facilitators included clear guidelines about protection from litigation. CONCLUSIONS: Error reporting is suboptimal. Nurses and doctors have a minimal common understanding of barriers to error reporting and demonstrate inconsistent practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Suboptimal reporting of serious adverse events has implications for patient safety. Managers need to prioritize education in adverse events, clarify reporting procedures and divest the organisation of a 'blame culture'.