Attitudes and Barriers to Incident Reporting Among Health Care Workers in Wazarat PHC in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Objectives:The issue of malpractice at the end of health care by providers is not new, but, in reality, how many incidents are reported is a big question.This study aimed to assess the utility and use of the current incident reporting system by primary health care physicians working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods:A cross-sectional, self-administered survey was conducted between October 2022 and December 2022.The research team designed the questionnaire using relevant literature and experience relevant to the existing health care system in Saudi Arabia.Questionnaire validated by two experts in the subject, pilot testing and Cronbach's alpha tests.Health care workers' attitudes of doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and administrators toward the incident reporting system were examined.Results: Our study showed that the majority of health care practitioners have positive attitudes toward the incident reporting system in Wazarrat PHC; a higher proportion of awareness was found among physicians and technicians, while a lower proportion was found between nurses and pharmacists.Saudis reported more incidents than non-Saudis per the last 12 months (P = 0.027).However, both have a similar awareness of the incident reporting system.Fear of the negative consequences of reporting was the main barrier limiting reporting. Conclusions:Overall, the attitudes of most health care practitioners tended to lean toward positive.The nursing staff had less knowledge of the existing incident system than physicians.However, medical errors and incidents were underreported, mainly because of fear of the repercussions of incident reporting.Thus, health care workers should be encouraged to report with a blamefree teamwork environment as well as be trained and educated on using the incident reporting system in PHC settings.