Common Medical Errors and Error Reporting Systems in Selected Hospitals of Central Uganda

Abstract

Medical errors are under studied in the developing world, therefore, this study set out to identify common errors committed during provision of health care and error management systems in the hospitals with reference to central Uganda. This was a descriptive cross sectional study carried out between January 16th and January 22nd 2012 in four hospitals in central Uganda (2 Public hospitals and 2 Catholic Private not for profit hospitals). A total of 160 health workers participated in the study. Respondents were interviewed the on errors they had committed or witnessed happening in their hospitals during the 3 months preceding this study. Patients’ records of the three months preceding the study were also reviewed to identify the common medical errors that had been committed. Of the six hundred and eighteen records that were reviewed’ medication (17.2%) and diagnostic (40.5%) were the commonest medical errors. Health workers too mentioned medication (58%) and diagnostic (53%) as the commonest errors they had witnessed or committed in the hospitals. No formal error reporting system existed in all the hospitals. Errors committed or witnessed were mainly disclosed to supervisors and/or colleagues during handover of duty and informal interactions. Lack of feedback, fear of punishment and litigation were the major impediments to disclosing errors. Error reporting importance was highly perceived by health workers. Instituting a mechanism of formal error reporting and management should be considered by the hospitals and the ministry of health so that errors can be used as a mechanism for ‘prevention by past experience’