Studying the attitudes of nurses working in intensive care units towards obstacles to disclosing medical errors to patients in educational and therapeutic hospitals in Jahrom city in 2024

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Assistant Professor of Urology, Department of Urology, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran.
2 Student Research Committee, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran
3 Research Center for Social Determinants of Health, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran
4 Department of Anesthesiology, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran
5 Instructor of Critical Care Nursing, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: The importance of medical errors in the healthcare system and the failure to report all these cases accurately endangers jeopardizes patient safety as a result of such errors and failure to report by medical staff, especially nurses. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the attitudes of nurses working in the intensive care units towards the barriers to disclosing medical errors to patients in educational and medical hospitals in Jahrom, 2024.
Methods: In this cross-sectional-analytical study, 118 nurses working in the intensive care units of educational and therapeutic hospitals in Jahrom were included in the study. The data collection tool included two demographic information questionnaires and nurses' attitudes questionnaire towards the barriers of disclosing medical errors.
Results: The mean and standard deviation of nurses' attitudes towards the barriers to disclosing medical errors was 71.92±11.39. The average attitude towards barriers to medical error disclosure in terms of staff factors was 17.34±3.67 and patient factors were 34.14±5.06, which were at an average level. The average attitude towards barriers of disclosing medical errors in terms of nature of error factors was 16.08±2.89, which was at an average level, and the average attitude towards barriers of disclosing medical errors in terms of organizational factors was 25.15±5.31, which were at a good level.
Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that nurses' attitudes towards medical error disclosure were at a desirable and positive level.
Keywords

1. Liu X, Yin H, Shi J, Wheeler KK, Groner JI, Xiang
H. Medical errors in hospitalized pediatric trauma
patients with chronic health conditions. SAGE Open
Med. 2014; 2:2050312113519987.
2. Salavati S, Hatamvand F, Tabesh H. Nurses’
Perspectives on Causes of Medication Errors and
Non-Reporting at ED. Nurs Midwifery Stud.
2012;25(79):72-83.
3. Nouhi, Esmat, Ravari M, Zadeh A, Abbas. Obstacles
to error reporting and strategies to reduce it from the
perspective of nurses in social security hospitals in
Kerman province. IJN 2015; 28 (97) :56-65
2015;28(97):56-65.
4. Mosadeghrad A, Esfahani P, Yousefinjadi T. Medical
error rates in Iranian hospitals: a systematic review
and meta-analysis. Tehran Univ Med J. 2020;78(4).
239-247.
5. Mollaei, Bahadori, Mohammad Karim, Amerion,
Ahmad. Investigating the factors affecting the non-
reporting of medical errors among nurses in selected
military hospitals in Tehran. Military Med.
2022;20(3):255-64. 6.
6. Borujeni R, Lehgani H, Daris F, Izadpanah F.
Attitudes of physicians, nurses and paramedics
regarding the most common medical errors in
hospitals of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. J
Multidisciplin Care. 2018;7(3):210-
7. Joolaee S, Hajibabaee F, Peyrovi H, Haghani H,
Bahrani N. The relationship between incidence and
report of medication errors and working conditions.Int Nurs Rev. 2011;58(1):37-44.
8. Zaboli RA, Abbaszadeh A, Shahabinejad M.
Assessing the barriers of error reporting from
perspective of nurses in Kerman hospitals. J Med
Ethics. 2016;9(34): 31-53.
9. Miziara ID, Miziara CS. Recognition of medical
error: It is not too late for an open disclosure–a
narrative review. Clinics. 2025 Jan 1;80:100622.
10. Aliabadi MM, Mohammadfam I, Soltanian AR,
Ghalenoei M, Karimi M. Identification, Assessment,
and Control of Errors in Chemotherapy Process: A
Case Study between Physician and Nurse. Int J Occup
Hygien. 2017;9(4):192-200.
11. Thomas EJ, Petersen LA. Measuring errors and
adverse events in health care. J Gen Intern Med.
2003;18:61-7.
12. Vahedi S, Moradi S, Amraei M, Atarzade S,
Kianpour S, Zare Nasiri M. Assessment of the Barriers
to Medical Error Reporting the Viewpoint of Nurses
in Selected Hospitals of Ahvaz. Avicenna J Nurs
Midwifery Care 2023; 31 (1) :65-74.
13. Beard DF. Retaliation: unlawful, unethical, or just to
be expected? Strategic Finance. 2007;89(2):32.
14. Finkelstein A, Brezis M, Taub A, Arad D.
Disclosure following a medical error: lessons learned
from a national initiative of workshops with patients,
healthcare teams, and executives. Isr J Health Policy
Res. 2024; 11;13(1):13.
15. Biranvand, Shorangiz, Zadeh, and Abadi H. Safari.
Nursing staff's attitude towards reporting medical
errors and its relationship with real and hypothetical
errors. J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2014; 7(1): 53-64.
16. Hashemi F, Nikbakht A, Nasrabadi F, Asghari.
Nurses perceived worries from error disclosure: a
qualitative study. Iranian J Nurs Res. 2011; 6 (20): 30-
43.
17. Kohan AD, Mahfoozpour S, Palesh M, Ouchhesar
FF. Assessing barriers to medical errors reporting
among clinical staff members of teaching hospitals
affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical
Sciences in Tehran-2016. J Health Field. 2017; 5(3):
8-16.
18. Seydin, Hesam S, Rawaghi, Maram N. Factors
associated with reporting medical errors by nurses in
public hospitals affiliated with Alborz University of
Medical Sciences, Karaj using the Theory of Planned
Behavior. Health Manag. 2019;19(64):56-64
19. Shields T, Sloane PD. A comparison of eye
problems in primary care and ophthalmology
practices. Fam Med. 1991;23(7):544-6.
20. Zaboli R, Abbaszade A, Shahabinejad M. Assessing
the barriers of error reporting from perspective of
nurses In Kerman Hospitals. J Med Ethics.
2016;9(34):31-53.
21. Beiranvand Sh, Valizadeh f, Ghasemi S F,
Hosseinabadi R, Safari M. Study of nursing staff's
attitudes towards barriers to disclosing medical errors
to patients in teaching hospitals affiliated with
Lorestan University of Medical Sciences. Today's
Care. 2011; 7(24-25): 55-63.
22. Ghobadi A, Hajibabaee F, Hajrajabi A. The attitudes
of nurses towards the occurrence and reporting of
nursing errors in selected hospitals of Tehran
University of Medical Sciences in 2019. J Nurs
Manag. 2023 Jan 10;11(4):1-3.
23. Önler E, Yildiz T, Kilc EA. Evaluation of nurses’
attitudes toward medical errors. J Health Nurs Manag.
2021;8(1):86-93.
24. Yung HP, Yu S, Chu C, Hou IC, Tang FI. Nurses’
attitudes and perceived barriers to the reporting of
medication administration errors. J Nurs Manag.
2016;24(5):580-8.
25. Dyab EA, Elkalmi RM, Bux SH, Jamshed SQ.
Exploration of nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and
perceived barriers towards medication error reporting
in a tertiary health care facility: a qualitative approach.
Pharmacy. 2018;6(4):120
26. Yousef A, Abu Farha R, Da’meh K. Medication
administration errors: causes and reporting behaviours
from nurses perspectives. Int J Clin Pract.
2021;75(10):e14541.
27. Hannani S, Khachian. A, Haghani H, Rahmani V.
Identification of Medical Errors Reporting Barriers
from the Viewpoints of Operating Room
Technologists in Educational and Therapeutic Centers
Affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. Mil
Care Sci. 2020; 7 (1) :53-62.
28. Azarabad S, Zaman S S, Nouri B, Valiee S.
Frequency, Causes and Reporting Barriers of Nursing
Errors in the Operating Room Students. Res Mec Edu
2018; 10 (2) :18-27.
29. Fathallah Mostafa M, Ibrahem Aboseada A, E Sayed
S. Medication Administration Errors and Barriers to
Reporting: Critical Care Nurses' Point of View. Int
Egypt J Nurs Sci Res. 2023;3(2):103-21.
30. Elseesy NAM, Almezraq BA, Hafez DA, Felemban
O, Felemban EM. Breaking the Silence: Barriers to
Error Disclosure Among Nurses in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia-A Cross-Sectional Study. Healthcare
(Basel). 2025;13(7):831.
31. Alzoubi MM, Al-Mahasneh A, Al-Mugheed K, Al
Barmawi M, Alsenany SA, Farghaly Abdelaliem SM.
Medication administration error perceptions among
critical care nurses: a cross-sectional, descriptive
study. J Multidiscip Healthc. 2023 Dec 31:1503-12.
32. Aljabari S, Kadhim Z. Common barriers to reporting
medical errors. Sci World J. 2021;2021(1):6494889.