Incident Reporting and Management Practices of Healthcare Workers of Tarkwa Municipal Hospital

Abstract

Background: Incidents in hospitals are in ascendency in Ghana. This has reached a critical level of public health concern. Most hospitals in Ghana lack a well-developed incident reporting system and management policies to safeguard healthcare workers and patients. Aim: To assess the incident reporting system and management practices of healthcare workers at Tarkwa Municipal Hospital. Method Section: A facility-based, analytic cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the incident reporting system and management practices of healthcare workers at Tarkwa Municipal Hospital. Interviewer-administered questionnaires and compliance checklists were used to collect data from 270 study participants, comprising clinical and non-clinical staff. Descriptive statistics were generated for sociodemographic and work-related variables and expressed as frequencies and percentages. The Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to demonstrate the association between variables. Chi-square statistics with p-values and odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were generated. A p-value less than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant. Results: The level of knowledge was poor, with 65% having a fair knowledge of incident reporting. Overall, the compliance rate was poor at 33.6%, but certain individual factors, such as the completeness of the report and reporting timelines, recorded unexpectedly high compliance. There was no association between incident reporting behaviours and sociodemographic variables. Promoting factors for incident reporting include clearer reporting procedures, avoidance of blame, training and education, better feedback and follow-up, and a supportive organizational culture. The barriers included a lack of time for reporting, fear of blame, an unclear reporting process, a lack of feedback, and the belief that the incident was not serious enough. Conclusion: The findings revealed a significant gap in policy dissemination, knowledge of incident reporting, and a low level of compliance with international standards. These challenges may be potentially addressed by reinforcing policy awareness and training, incident surveillance and monitoring, follow-up after incidents, and removing barriers limiting incident reporting among healthcare workers at Tarkwa Municipal Hospital.