Speaker
Description
Abstract
Introduction: The World Health Organisation reports that unsafe healthcare causes millions of injuries or deaths every year worldwide. Low—and middle-income countries alone record 134 million adverse events annually, and 2.6 million of these events result in deaths in healthcare settings. The nature of job demand and burnout among nurses in the Emergency Department can account for the high incidence of adverse events. The study examined the role of job demand and burnout in adverse event reporting among nurses at the Emergency Departments of Ghanaian hospitals.
Methods: This study used a multi-centre cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from professional and auxiliary nurses working in Emergency Departments across various hospitals in Ghana’s ecological belts. The study employed validated scales, and data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, testing hypotheses through ANOVA and mediation models at a 0.05 significance level.
Results: The frequency distribution of adverse events revealed that 27.6% of respondents reported no Adverse Events in the preceding year, and 38.5% reported one to two Adverse Events. Patient safety impressions were split, with 38.8% rating it as “good”. The occurrence was deemed moderately high, with a mean Adverse Event Reporting rate of 5.36 (SD = 2.28). The work demand study found moderate levels across several subscales, with high work pace and cognitive demands scores. Burnout levels were significantly higher for emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. The ANOVA demonstrated significant differences in Adverse Event Reporting among hospital categories, with Teaching Hospitals showing the highest reporting rates. The mediation analysis found that work demand correlated negatively with Adverse Event Reporting and positively with burnout.
Conclusion: The study underscores the urgent need for healthcare systems to address increased job demand, which contributes to burnout and impedes Adverse Event Reporting. Managing job demands is an essential strategy to mitigate burnout and improve patient safety outcomes.