Incident reporting and level of MR safety education: A Danish national study

Abstract

Introduction: MR-safety remains a concern among MR professionals. We aimed to evaluate the extent of MR-related incidents using a national database and a questionnaire among MR professionals and to identify possible predictors for MR-related incidents.

Methods: MR-related incidents reported to a national database from 2015 to 2017 were scrutinized. A national online survey focussing on MR safety and education was performed. Quantitative analyses, descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used.

Results: The database included 196, 97 and 100 direct MR-related incidents in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Regarding the questionnaire, 208 MR professionals responded. Within the last year, 33% had been involved in an MR-related incident that was reported in the national database. At some time in their working life, 53% had been involved in an MR-related incident that was reported, but 25% had been involved in an incident that was not reported. The responses to the questionnaire reflected far more incidents than those reported to the database for all categories. Sixty-one percent of respondents indicated that external personnel in the MR environment are a safety risk. External personnel in the MR environment were found to be a predictor for reported and unreported MR-related incidents with odds ratio (OR) = 2.07; p = 0.033 and OR = 5.17; p = 0.0005 respectively.

Conclusion: There seems to be severe underreporting of MR-related incidents. External personnel in the MR-environment and scanning patients in anaesthesia were found to be predictors for both reported and unreported MR-related incidents. Regulations regarding the minimum required MR safety education of different groups of MR professionals and external personnel are recommended.

Implications for practice: Enforcing MR safety education and highlighting the importance of MR safety within hospital organisations would contribute to better patient and personnel safety.

Keywords: MR safety; MR safety education; MR safety incident reporting; Patient safety.