A study on the reporting intention of medical incidents: a nursing perspective

Medical incidents threaten patients’ lives and health, increase medical costs, and can lead to medical disputes. A high proportion of medical incidents are not reported. The aim of this study was to explore the factors influencing nurses’ reporting of medical incidents. The cross-sectional survey design used a self-administered 47-item questionnaire to survey 835 nurses in three hospitals in Taiwan between January and December 2014. The intention among nurses to report medical incidents was high (3.86/5); nurses’ intention to report medical incidents was positively correlated (r = .34, p < .0001) with their attitude about reporting, awareness of reporting (r = .37, p < .0001), and support from interested parties (r = .12, p = .001), and was negatively correlated with positive incentives (r = -.14, p < .0001) and negative incentives (r = .29, p < .0001). Nurses’ awareness and a supportive work environment affect nurses’ willingness to voluntarily report medical incidents; hence, they are critical considerations as Taiwan moves toward systems of mandatory reporting.