Results of the Formative Research on “The Security of Patients” in the Academic Unit of Family and Community Medicine in Murcia, Spain

Abstract

Objective: to describe how Family and Community Residents perceive the safety of the patient, their clinical mistakes and how they manage its impact. Material and methods: design: descriptive, analytic, and cross-sectional through survey study. Location: health teaching centers of the Academic Unit of Family and Community Medicine of Murcia. Participants: all residents of the 2007-2011, 2008-2012, and 2009-2013, promotions, after two years of their formation. Self-compliment survey of 12 questions with three answer options, and other three open questions (15 questions total); distributed and collected in person, handwritten, and answered anonymously. Results: 98.7% of the residents answered the survey (80 of 81); 97.5% of those residents think that all the physicians committed errors when attending their patients; 96.25% said that in the carrying out of their professional practice time has committed some clinical error, including some serious (30%) -the main problems occur in the diagnosis, treatment and healthcare communication; 80% thinks that he has committed fewer errors than really occur; 23.75% believed that some of his mistakes have impacted significantly on patients, while 65% believed that errors have impacted significantly on himself; 98.75% has learnt from his mistakes; and 77.5% claims to know how to avoid mistakes in the future and describes them. Conclusions: residents are aware of having committed errors. This information is useful to adapt and improve the training of residents.