title: Barriers and facilitators to communicating nursing errors in long-term care settings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore nurses' perceptions about communicating nursing errors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional, descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Approximately 289 nurses working in long-term care facilities in Ontario, Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, descriptive study of approximately 289 nurses working in long-term care facilities in Ontario, Canada. Solicited nurses' perceptions concerning the disclosure of nursing errors and adverse events by including an open-ended item at the conclusion of a 60-item (multiple choice) questionnaire on the same topic. A qualitative content analysis was conducted using a multi-step process.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 245 responses were included in the content analysis. The main categories related to error communication that were derived from the analysis were as follows: (1) differences in the definition of terms; (2) the day-to-day working conditions and their impact on defining and reporting errors; (3) organizational factors that both help and hinder the reporting of errors in ensuring both personal and organizational responsibility; (4) communication styles that both help and hinder disclosure and adherence to proper protocols; and (5) external factors such as policies and professional standards and codes of ethics, which can provide clarity of process; and (6) recommendations for implementation of professional standards in long-term care settings to facilitate supportive working conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Eliminating the barriers to error communication requires moving toward a culture of safety. This involves both top-down and bottom-up approaches that allow nurses to feel comfortable being active participants in the error communication process.
authors.affiliation: University of California San Francisco, School of Nursing, San Francisco, California, USA. laura.wagner@nursing.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Thecla
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Damianakis
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pho
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tourangeau
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D030881:Disclosure; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration; D009864:Ontario; D015279:Organizational Culture; D016134:Organizational Policy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D016526:Workload