Medical errors likely to go unreported
May 1, 1999
Medical errors likely to go unreported
Hospital-based registered nurses responding to a survey by RN Magazine said fewer patients are harmed by medical errors today than were harmed 10 years ago. Two of three respondents said they were unaware of patients harmed because of incompetence or errors by physicians or nurses in the month before the survey. Only 59% could say the same in 1988.
The survey also shows fewer nurses are reporting errors. In fact, 26% of respondents said they knew of at least one instance in which a patient was harmed because of physician incompetence or error and did not report the incident to their supervisor, up from 22% in 1988.
"There are many possible explanations for why more nurses today are not reporting medical errors," says Marianne D. Mattera, editor of RN. "Fear of being disciplined or fired and lack of institutional support are just two of the reasons why nurses keep quiet."
Also, existing laws provide relatively little protection for nurses who fear reprisal. Only Kentucky, Minnesota, and New Jersey have laws protecting nurses from retaliation by employers for reporting care that endangers patients.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content