NURSES' EXPERIENCES REGARDING ERROR REPORTING PROCESS: FINDINGS OF A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Medical errors are one of the major challenges threatening the health system all
around the world. Regarding the key role of nurse's in the health care system and the importance of the
error preventing, it is essential that nurses’ experience of error reporting to be reviewed. The present
study was designed and carried out to assess nurses' experience of reporting errors.
Materials & Methods: This study is a qualitative research. To investigate nurses' experiences
regarding the process of error reporting, semi-structured interviews conducted with 50 nurses who
working at two educational governmental hospitals in Urmia. Content analysis was used for data
analysis.
Results: Four main categories extracted in relation to the results in general. These were: a) Error
reporting processes, b) dealing with the reported errors, c) factors that facilitate committing the errors,
d) Suggestions for reducing the errors.
Conclusion: The findings showed that report of medication errors among nurses is much lower than
its actual amount. As reasons for this, nurses pointed to the lack of appropriate feedback and distrust to
the system, inappropriate dealing of the managers and the organization with nurse who made the error,
the mismatch between intensity of the error and the reaction of the managers, fear from legal
punishment and missing the job. The most important factors that affect the incidence of errors were
reported: lack of adequate inexperience, workload, multiple work shifts, poor awareness and
knowledge of nurses