Table 2.
Results for individual items in each domain as means±SD, percentage of positive responses to each item and p-value for differences between professions
| 1. Patient safety training received | |||||
| Doctors (n=150) | Nurses (n=424) | ||||
| Means ± SD |
% of positive response | Means ± SD |
% of positive response | P-value | |
| My training has prepared me to understand the causes of medical errors. | 3.3±1.0 | 47.2 | 3.4±1.2 | 54.7 | 0.082 |
| 2. Error reporting confidence | 3.3±0.7 | 3.6±0.7 | <0.001* | ||
| I would feel comfortable reporting any errors I had made no matter how serious the outcome had been for the patient. | 3.5±1.0 | 55.3 | 3.7±1.0 | 65.6 | 0.025 |
| I would feel comfortable reporting any errors other people had made, no matter how serious the outcome had been for the patient. | 3.1±1.1 | 38.0 | 3.5±1.0 | 57.3 | <0.001* |
| I feel confident I could report an error I had made without feeling I would be blamed. | 3.5±1.1 | 58.7 | 3.8±1.0 | 69.1 | 0.001* |
| I am confident I could talk openly to my supervisor about an error I had made if it had resulted in potential or actual harm to my patient. | 3.5±1.1 | 59.3 | 3.7±1.0 | 67.2 | 0.077 |
| Medical errors are handled appropriately in my workplace. | 3.0±1.0 | 35.5 | 3.3±1.1 | 48.3 | 0.001* |
| 3. Working hours as a cause of errors | 4.2±0.7 | 3.9±0.8 | <0.001* | ||
| The number of hours doctors/nurses work increases the likelihood of making medical errors. | 4.2±1.0 | 70.6 | 3.9±1.2 | 66.0 | 0.003* |
| Shorter shifts will reduce medical errors. | 4.1±1.0 | 78.7 | 3.9±1.1 | 66.7 | 0.016* |
| By not taking regular breaks during shifts doctors/nurses are at an increased risk of making errors. | 4.3±0.9 | 85.3 | 4.0±1.0 | 78.3 | 0.014* |
| I like my job. | 4.1±0.9 | 80.7 | 4.0±1.0 | 76.4 | 0.205 |
| 4. Error inevitability | 3.7±0.6 | 3.9±0.6 | 0.033* | ||
| I do not think I make errors. (R) | 2.9±1.1 | 31.3 | 3.4±1.1 | 52.4 | <0.001* |
| Even the most experienced and competent doctors make errors. | 4.2±0.9 | 86.7 | 4.2±0.9 | 84.0 | 0.505 |
| Even the most experienced and competent nurses make errors. | 4.2±0.8 | 88.0 | 4.1±0.9 | 80.7 | 0.325 |
| 5. Professional incompetence as a cause of error | 3.3±0.5 | 3.1±0.6 | <0.001* | ||
| A true professional does not make mistakes or errors. (R) | 3.9±1.1 | 74.0 | 3.6±1.1 | 60.1 | 0.006* |
| Medical errors are a sign of incompetence. (R) | 3.7±1.0 | 64.7 | 3.4±1.1 | 48.2 | <0.001* |
| Most medical errors result from careless nurses. (R) | 3.4±0.9 | 50.7 | 3.6±1.3 | 56.6 | 0.051 |
| If people paid more attention at work, medical errors would be avoided. (R) | 2.1±0.8 | 4.7 | 2.1±0.9 | 7.3 | 0.918 |
| Most medical errors result from careless doctors. (R) | 3.3±1.2 | 46.7 | 2.7±1.1 | 24.1 | <0.001* |
| 6. Disclosure responsibility | 3.5±0.6 | 3.5±0.6 | <0.711 | ||
| Doctors/nurses have a responsibility to disclose errors to patients only if they result in patient harm. | 2.8±1.1 | 28.7 | 3.0±1.1 | 34.7 | 0.139 |
| All medical errors should be reported. | 3.9±0.9 | 68.7 | 3.9±1.0 | 72.6 | 0.931 |
| It is not necessary to report errors which do not result in adverse outcomes for the patient. (R) | 3.4±1.1 | 47.6 | 3.2±1.2 | 43.6 | 0.060 |
| It is the responsibility of all healthcare professionals to formally report all medical errors which occur. | 3.7±1.0 | 64.5 | 3.7±1.0 | 65.1 | 0.822 |
| 7. Team functioning | 3.9±0.6 | 3.9±0.6 | 0.914 | ||
| Better multidisciplinary teamwork will reduce medical errors. | 4.3±0.9 | 86.7 | 4.1±0.8 | 82.2 | 0.017* |
| Personal input about patient care is well received at my workplace. | 3.4±1.0 | 50.7 | 3.6±1.0 | 60.4 | 0.013* |
| Teaching teamwork skills will reduce medical errors. | 4.1±0.8 | 84.7 | 4.1±0.8 | 79.2 | 0.800 |
| 8. Patient involvement in reducing error | 3.5±0.8 | 3.5±0.6 | 0.958 | ||
| Patients have an important role in preventing medical errors. | 3.4±1.0 | 53.3 | 3.6±1.0 | 59.2 | 0.082 |
| Encouraging patients to be more involved in their care can help to reduce the risk of medical errors occurring. | 4.0±0.8 | 84.0 | 3.9±0.9 | 74.3 | 0.047* |
| 9. Importance of patient safety in the curriculum | 3.2±0.6 | 3.2±0.4 | 0.973 | ||
| Patient safety issues cannot be taught and can only be learnt by clinical experience when qualified. (R) | 3.6±1.1 | 57.3 | 3.2±1.2 | 42.0 | <0.001* |
| Learning about patient safety issues before I qualify will help me to become a more effective doctor/nurse. | 3.9±1.0 | 74.0 | 3.8±0.9 | 71.7 | 0.858 |
| Learning about patient safety issues is not as important as learning other more skill based aspects of being a doctor/a nurse. (R) | 2.3±1.1 | 16.7 | 2.7±1.2 | 25.7 | 0.001* |
The darkly shaded rows show results for patient safety domain scores as means±SD.
*Statistically significant, (R) reversely coded items.