Effectiveness of a graduate medical education program for improving medical event reporting attitude and behavior

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program for improving medical event reporting attitude and behavior in the ambulatory care setting among graduate medical trainees. Design: One group pre- and post-test study. Setting: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas Family Medicine Residency Program. Participants: All family practice residents (n = 30). Intervention: Patient safety educational program implemented through an introductory lecture and 6 monthly conferences, June to December 2002, involving medical events that occurred in the ambulatory care setting. Outcome measures: Medical event reporting attitude and behavior at baseline and at 6 month follow up, and barriers to medical event reporting at the 6 month follow up. Results: Program attendance was significantly correlated with medical event reporting attitude and behavior change (rho = 0.525, p = 0.003). The median change in medical event reporting attitude and behavior was zero and not statistically significant (p = 0.566). Major barriers to medical event reporting were lack of time, extra paper work, and concern about career and personal reputation. Conclusions: Attending the patient safety educational program was key for promoting a positive medical event reporting attitude and behavior change among graduate trainees. Major barriers to medical event reporting were lack of time, extra paper work, and concern about career and personal reputation. Future research will need to focus on reducing these barriers and to evaluate the effectiveness of such a program over longer periods of time, since making a positive change in medical event reporting attitude and behavior must be made at the individual and organizational levels.