Staff nurses’ awareness, compliance, and barriers regarding incident reporting in a government health organization

Background Effective reporting of clinical incidents by nurses and other healthcare professionals in clinical settings is vital in promoting patient safety and ensuring high-quality care delivery. Aim The study assessed staff nurses’ awareness, compliance, and barriers regarding incident reporting in a governmental health organization. Study design A descriptive exploratory research design was used. Sample A convenience sample of 150 staff nurses and 26 nurse managers. Setting This study was conducted at the National Heart Institute in Giza, Egypt. Tools Data were collected using four tools: (I) personal characteristics and work-related data sheet, (II) staff nurses’ awareness questionnaire regarding incident reporting, (III) structured interview of nurse managers about staff nurses’ compliance, and (IV) incident reporting barriers questionnaire. Results The main findings illustrated that 70% of study participants had a high level of awareness of incident reporting, 53.46% of them had a low compliance level of incident reporting and regarding incident reporting barriers, 72% of the study participants perceived that discussing the case with the person involved is enough and 67.3% of them did not report the incidents for fear of disciplinary action. Conclusion The present study concluded that the staff nurses generally had a high level of awareness regarding incident reporting. However, their compliance was at a low level. In addition, the study showed significant barriers to incident reporting among staff nurses. Recommendations Increase incident reporting skills through structured educational programs and implement an advanced electronic reporting system.