Factors That Predict Incident Reporting Behavior in Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists

• Main Author: Damico, Nicole K
• Format: Others
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2014
• Subjects: Incident Reporting; Incident Reporting Systems; Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist; Anesthesia; Patient Safety; Anesthesia and Analgesia; Applied Behavior Analysis; Social Psychology
• Online Access: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/3614; http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4642&context=etd

Improving patient safety through reduction of medical errors is a national priority. One of the strategies widely utilized to address this issue is the use of incident reporting systems. The purpose of this study was to describe factors that predict the likelihood that Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) will use incident reporting systems, guided by the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991). A non-experimental, correlational research design was utilized to achieve the study aims. Following IRB approval, a cross-sectional survey was administered electronically to a random sample of practicing CRNAs. Correlational analyses and a standard logistic regression were utilized to determine the relationship between cognitive factors and CRNAs' use of incident reporting systems. Two hundred and eighty-three practicing CRNAs participated in this study. These CRNAs value incident reporting, perceive social pressure to report, and feel in control over reporting, yet had not consistently used existing incident reporting systems in the past 12 months. A CRNA’s attitude toward reporting and the degree to which he or she perceived social pressure to report, were determined to be significant predictors of the likelihood that a CRNA would use an incident reporting system. Social pressure to report was the most important factor in the prediction model. The results of this study revealed that there are missed opportunities for learning from patient safety incidents in anesthesia practice. The information gained in this study has the potential to assist organizations in the design of strategies to promote incident reporting by practicing CRNAs.