Health professionals’ perception of the limitations to the notification of the error/adverse event

Background: Health organizations have a growing concern in patient safety and in the occurrence of errors/adverse events, which means a greater investment in innovative solutions that allow the continuous improvement of the clinical practice. Objective: To identify limitations encountered by health professionals to the notification of errors/adverse events. Methodology: Descriptive, exploratory study of quantitative approach. The data collection was performed from February to March 2017, using an electronic questionnaire. Two hundred twenty five health professionals professionally active in Portugal participated in the study. Results: The greatest limitations encountered by participants in the study are of organizational nature (lack of reporting culture; insufficient knowledge about the notification system; work overload, pressure at work, and absence of feedback in the resolution of the reasons which led to the occurrence of the error/adverse event). Conclusion: Given the nature of the limitations encountered by the participants, it is crucial that organizations promote a greater involvement of health professionals in risk management policies.