Nurses adverse events report adding safety to pediatric nursing

Abstract

Introduction: Adverse Events remain a current challenge in healthcare, being defined as incidents that resulted in unnecessary harm to the patient. The choice of the pediatric population the object of this study is based on certain characteristics making it the most susceptible to Adverse Events. Reporting them is a key action of the strategy to reduce its occurrence, while Nurses remain essential elements to the process. The ultimate goal is Patient Safety, the reduction of the risk of unnecessary healthcare-related harm to an acceptable minimum. Objective: Describe Nurses’ Adherence to Adverse Events Reporting and the Factors associated with it in a Pediatric setting. Methods: A Cross-sectional Observational Study is presented, based on a survey conducted in the Pediatrics Department of a hospital. The study included 88 categorical variables, related to respondents' perception of Adverse Events, Errors, Incidents and Patient Safety. Univariable, bivariable, and correlation analysis were used. Results: A total of 69% of nurses did not report any Adverse Event in 2019. The events more frequently reported were those with the most serious consequences for the patients (54%) and those related to organizational dysfunctions of the institution (74-90%). Factors which facilitate the occurrence of Adverse Events include the lack of human resources (19%), communication failures and overtime (17%), and the main barrier to Reporting is forgetting to do so when there is a greater workload (63%). Conclusion: A low percentage of reporting related to nurses’ adherence to adverse events was found in this investigation. This highlighted the need to invest in the institution’s Safety Culture by enhancing healthcare professionals’ awareness of the importance of their role in improving Patient Safety. Integrating notification into the daily practice of professionals, using continuous awareness enhancement, strengthening multidisciplinary teams, investing in communication and down grading workload is essential and can facilitate improvement.