We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Download Mobile App




Physicians Avoid Online Error-Reporting Tools Because of Embarrassment

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 25 Oct 2011
“Too busy,” and “too complicated” are the typical excuses one might expect when medical professionals are asked why they fail to use online error-reporting systems designed to improve patient safety and the quality of care. But investigators found instead that the most typical reason among radiation oncologists was fear of getting into trouble and embarrassment.

Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, USA) investigators e-mailed an anonymous survey to physicians, nurses, radiation physicists and other radiation specialists at Johns Hopkins University, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System (Great Neck, NY, USA), Washington University in St. Louis (MO, USA), and the University of Miami (FL, USA), with questions about their reporting near-misses and errors in delivering radiotherapy. Each of the four centers tracks near misses and errors through online, intradepartmental systems. Some 274 providers returned completed surveys.

According to the survey, few nurses and physicians reported routinely submitting online reports, in contrast to physicists, dosimetrists, and radiation therapists who reported the most use of error and near-miss reporting systems. Almost all respondents agreed that error reporting is their responsibility. Getting colleagues into trouble, liability and embarrassment in front of colleagues were reported most frequently by physicians and residents.

More than 90% of respondents had observed near misses or errors in their clinical practice. The vast majority of these were reported as near misses as opposed to errors, and, as a result, no providers reported patient harm. Hospitals have specific systems for reporting errors, but few have systems to accommodate the complex data associated with radiotherapy.

“It is important to understand the specific reasons why fewer physicians participate in these reporting systems so that hospitals can work to close this gap. Reporting is not an end in itself. It helps identify potential hazards, and each member of the health care team brings a perspective that can help make patients safer,” said Johns Hopkins radiation oncology resident Kendra Harris, MD, who presented an abstract of the data at the 53rd annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), held October 2011 in Miami, FL, USA.

The up side, according to Dr. Harris, is that few respondents reported being too busy to report or that the online tool was too complicated. “Respondents recognized that error events should be reported and that they should claim responsibility for them. The barriers we identified are not insurmountable,” she added.

Dr. Harris reported that online reporting systems should be simple and promoted as quality improvement tools, not instruments for placing blame and meting out sanctions. “These systems should not be viewed as punitive; rather, they’re a critical way to improve therapy,” she stated. “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.”

Most of the respondents said they would participate in a national reporting system for radiotherapy near misses and errors. “A national system that collects pooled data about near-misses and errors, which are thankfully rare, may help us identify common trends and implement safety interventions to improve care,” added Dr. Harris.

Related Links:
Johns Hopkins University


Multi-Use Ultrasound Table
Clinton
40/80-Slice CT System
uCT 528
New
High-Precision QA Tool
DEXA Phantom
Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy & Visualization Tools
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) Guided Devices

Channels

Ultrasound

view channel
Image: The new implantable device for chronic pain management is small and flexible (Photo courtesy of The Zhou Lab at USC)

Wireless Chronic Pain Management Device to Reduce Need for Painkillers and Surgery

Chronic pain affects millions of people globally, often leading to long-term disability and dependence on opioid medications, which carry significant risks of side effects and addiction.... Read more

Nuclear Medicine

view channel
Image: The diagnostic tool could improve diagnosis and treatment decisions for patients with chronic lung infections (Photo courtesy of SNMMI)

Novel Bacteria-Specific PET Imaging Approach Detects Hard-To-Diagnose Lung Infections

Mycobacteroides abscessus is a rapidly growing mycobacteria that primarily affects immunocompromised patients and those with underlying lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.