Medical Error Reporting Among Healthcare Workers in a Kenyan Tertiary Level Hospital: A KAP Study

Abstract Background Medical Error Reporting (MER) enables organizations to characterize safety events, learn from them, and mitigate their recurrence in the future. However, Medical Error Reporting is inconsistently practiced by healthcare workers. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, practice and attitude towards MER at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), a tertiary care teaching and referral hospital in Kenya that serves Kenya and the East and Central African regions. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare workers at KNH between February and September 2022. Three hundred and eighty-two (382) participants were purposively sampled from different cadres and divisions of the hospital to represent the full spectrum of HCW the hospital employed. Participants were recruited via email, departmental WhatsApp groups or during departmental meetings. Data was collected via the participants’ choice of an online link or a paper pencil format using a pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire. Results The majority of surveyed staff 265 (71%), were aware of the need for MER and of the MER form. Two-hundred fifty-two (68%) of the participants reported having encountered MER in the past two years, yet only 138 (38.1%) had filled out a MER form to formally report the error. These 138 participants had filled out a total of 758 forms over the past two years. Most of the participants, 292 (86.1%), correctly defined patient safety. Nurses were 3 times more likely to report medical errors than doctors OR 3.26 (95% CI:1.82, 5.94) Conclusion The HCWs underreport medical errors at KNH. Nurses are significantly more likely than doctors to report medical errors. Improved reporting from doctors may require training to increase awareness of the existence of a reporting system and of the need to report. At the management level, there is an opportunity to develop a more positive reporting culture that will likely improve the MER systems' use.