Medical Error Reporting (MER) continues to be a challenge in health provision in Kenya and across the globe.
This is according to a recent study carried out by researchers from the University of Nairobi to assess the uptake, awareness and attitudes towards MER.
According to this study titled; Medical Error Reporting among healthcare workers in a Kenyan tertiary level hospital: a knowledge, attitude, and practice study, the frequency of medical error reporting by medical practitioners is inversely proportional to the number of errors reported.
Medical Error Reporting is designed to help organizations learn from mistakes and improve patient safety. Unfortunately, its use by healthcare workers isn't always consistent.
The study found out that despite availability of MER systems in hospitals like Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), a gap in awareness among medical practitioners was a barrier to effective reporting of medical mishaps.
Another factor that informed low reporting rates was fear of victimization and negative departmental cultures. The study found out that health care practitioners associated reporting of medical errors to shining negative light on their practice.
The low reporting rates in turn, leads to missed chances for institutional learning and compromises patient safety.
The study recommended enhancing awareness and training on the use of the MER tool, strengthening clinical governance to reduce victimization and foster a supportive, blame-free work environment as actions to enhance utilization of MER.
It further, suggested creation of national guidance and institutional systems in Kenya that would play a critical role in shaping health care practitioner’s recognition and reporting of errors.
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