Evaluating the effect of safety culture on error reporting: a comparison of managerial and staff perspectives.
Voluntary error reporting is a critical mechanism for identifying patient safety issues in an organization. However, the process is dependent on a culture of safety that enables providers to report mistakes and near misses. This study used the AHRQ Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture comparative database to test organizational factors that may predict more robust error reporting. Error feedback and organizational learning were most associated with perceptions of frequent error reporting, supporting the importance of hospitals demonstrating that reports are seriously considered and acted upon. Some manager respondents did not seem to recognize the significance of perceived management support in enabling error reporting. A prior AHRQ WebM&M perspective discussed the establishment of a safety culture in health care organizations.