Frequency of Medical Errors and Their Reporting Barriers in Operating Room Students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences in 2024

Abstract

Background: Health education centers are highly exposed to a range of medical errors due to the presence of students who are learning. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the frequency of medical errors and their reporting barriers among operating room students at Birjand University of Medical Sciences in 2024. Methods: This descriptive-sectional study was conducted on 71 operating room students who completed their fourth semester at Birjand University of Medical Sciences in 2024. Students were selected by the census method. The questionnaire used included three sections: "Demographic information", "Frequency of medical errors", and "Barriers to reporting medical errors". Data analysis was done using SPSS 26 and descriptive statistics. Results: The frequency of errors among the studied students was evaluated. The most common medical errors were related to retained foreign bodies in the surgical site (3.00 ± 1.014), incorrect counting of surgical sponges (2.96 ± 0.992), and failure to identify the correct patient (2.94 ± 0.954). The most common reasons for not reporting errors were "some nursing errors are not important to report" (3.37 ± 1.174), "forgetting to report errors" (3.31 ± 1.178), and "nursing errors have no specific definition" (3.17 ± 1.207). Conclusions: Error reporting effectively identifies and prevents errors because it helps identify them, especially frequent errors and errors of high importance. Therefore, an effective reporting system in operating rooms and the removal of barriers are necessary