Consideration of Factors Affecting Nurses’ Attitudes in Pointing out Inter-professional Errors

Abstract

Objective: To identify factors affecting nurses' attitudes in pointing out inter-professional errors. Method: A mail-in questionnaire survey was conducted on 1,834 nurses who work for advanced treatment hospitals throughout Japan. The questionnaire consisted of 84 items, including a scale for measuring the nurses' attitude toward pointing out problems and non-technical skills. Multiple regression analyses were conducted with the score on the scale for attitude toward pointing out problems as the objective variable, and personal attributes such as years of experience and job titles, and personality traits of individuals such as non-technical skills, as separate explanatory variables (simultaneous forced entry). Result: The number of responses to the questionnaire was 412 (response rate: 22.5%). As a result of the multiple regression analyses, factors that affect nurses' attitudes toward pointing out problems were affected more strongly by "assertiveness" (P = .34, p < .001) and "leadership" (P = .21, p < .001), which fell under non-technical skills that are personality traits of individuals, than by basic attributes including years of experience and job titles. Conclusion: Nurses' non-technical skills, such as "assertiveness" and "leadership" that are personality traits of individuals, had an effect on the attitudes in which they pointed out problems.