Addressing medical errors: an intervention protocol for nursing professionals

Abstract

Objective: To identify the types of interventions that should be included in an organizational protocol for responding to serious adverse events involving nursing staff.

Method: A descriptive exploratory study was conducted in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, Spain using a questionnaire.

Results: 248 nurses have participated. The respondents prioritized the following interventions for inclusion in the protocol: legal advice (86.5% of participants) and counseling (82.4% of participants). Over two-thirds of the nurses (69.3%) showed that they would like to receive guidance on how to record adverse events on the patient's medical records, while 64.8% showed that they would like to receive advice on assurances and legal safeguards in relation to the health organization's medical error notification system and 54.5% endorsed refresher training. Compulsory temporary or permanent transfer of nursing staff involved in adverse events was one of the least popular interventions (3.3% of participants).

Conclusion: The nurses prioritized counseling, legal advice, training in communication techniques, and refresher training to address the consequences of adverse events and discarded the possibility of compulsory temporary or permanent transfer.