A cross-sectional analysis investigating organizational factors that influence near-miss error reporting among hospital pharmacists.
This cross-sectional analysis sought to determine how a punitive work environment, poor feedback about errors, and inadequate preventive processes affect near-miss reporting by hospital pharmacists. Using data from the AHRQ Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture, researchers found that pharmacists who believed error prevention procedures and error feedback to be insufficient were less likely to report near misses. A work culture in which individuals are blamed for errors was also tied to less near-miss reporting, similar to other studies of safety culture. This study underscores the consistent finding that frontline health care personnel are more likely to participate in safety efforts when they perceive that their workplace is receptive to error reporting and develops interventions to address concerns raised. A previous AHRQ WebM&M perspective explores the evidence on safety culture over the past decade.