Physicians-in-training attitudes on patient safety: 2003 to 2008.
Publication/Presentation Date
9-1-2011
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: : Physician trainees will embody medicine's future culture. We assess whether trainees' patient safety attitudes have evolved over time.
METHODS: : We anonymously surveyed more than 800 house staff and fourth-year medical students (MS 4) in 2008, at 1 academic institution, with a 19-item questionnaire and compared their responses to the 2003 responses at the same institution on the same questionnaire.
RESULTS: : A total of 463 trainees (53%) completed the 2008 survey, with a mean overall safety score of 3.54, which significantly improved from the 2003 overall score of 3.41 (P < 0.001). Compared with those from 2003, respondents in 2008 more strongly agree that physician-nurse teamwork (P = 0.001), attending supervision (P = 0.017), 80-hour workweek (P < 0.001), computer order entry (P < 0.001), and improved resident sign-out (P < 0.001) help reduce adverse events. The 2008 trainees feel more prepared to prevent adverse events (P = 0.030) and more acknowledge the ethical responsibility to disclose adverse events to patients (P = 0.002). However, compared with 2003, fewer 2008 respondents felt that reducing nurses' patient load would reduce adverse events (P = 0.015); on 8 questionnaire items, there were no significant attitudinal changes between 2003 and 2008.
CONCLUSIONS: : Physician trainee safety attitudes at 1 institution improved between 2003 and 2008, and these trainees support many system-based solutions to adverse events. The changes seem incremental and responses do not fully align with all aspects of a safety culture. Cultural change in health care must involve trainees and address their attitudes.
Volume
7
Issue
3
First Page
133
Last Page
138
ISSN
1549-8425
Published In/Presented At
Sorokin, R., Riggio, J. M., Moleski, S., & Sullivan, J. (2011). Physicians-in-training attitudes on patient safety: 2003 to 2008. Journal of patient safety, 7(3), 133–138. https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0b013e31822a9c5e
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
PubMedID
21857242
Department(s)
Administration and Leadership
Document Type
Article