Nurses' experiences in voluntary error reporting: An integrative literature review

Objective: This integrative review aimed to examine and understand nurses' experiences of voluntary error reporting (VER) and elucidate factors underlying their decision to engage in VER. Method: This is an integrative review based on Whittemore & Knafl five-stage framework. A systematic search guided by the PRISMA 2020 approach was performed on four electronic databases: CINAHL, Medline (PubMed), Scopus, and Embase. Peer-reviewed articles published in the English language from January 2010 to December 2020 were retrieved and screened for relevancy. Results: Totally 31 papers were included in this review following the quality appraisal. A constant comparative approach was used to synthesize findings of eligible studies to report nurses' experiences of VER represented by three major themes: nurses' beliefs, behavior, and sentiments towards VER; nurses' perceived enabling factors of VER and nurses' perceived inhibiting factors of VER. Findings of this review revealed that nurses' experiences of VER were less than ideal. Firstly, these negative experiences were accounted for by the interplays of factors that influenced their attitudes, perceptions, emotions, and practices. Additionally, their negative experiences were underpinned by a spectrum of system, administrative and organizational factors that focuses on attributing the error to human failure characterized by an unsupportive, blaming, and punitive approach to error management. Conclusion: Findings of this review add to the body of knowledge to inform on the areas of focus to guide nursing management perspectives to strengthen institutional efforts to improve nurses' recognition, reception, and contribution towards VER. It is recommended that nursing leaders prioritize and invest in strategies to enhance existing institutional error management approaches to establish a just and open patient safety culture that would promote positivity in nurses' overall experiences towards VER. (c) 2021 The authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of the Chinese Nursing Association.

Automated summary

The integrative review of nurses' experiences of voluntary error reporting (VER) revealed less than ideal experiences due to a variety of influencing factors. These factors included nurses' attitudes, emotions, and practices, as well as the level of support from institutions and organizations. To improve nurses' recognition and contribution towards VER, there is a need to strengthen institutional efforts and promote positive experiences for nurses through establishing a just and open patient safety culture.