See Something, Say Something in Medicine

Speaking up about traditional and professionalism-related patient safety threats: a national survey of interns and residents.

Speaking up when a safety concern arises is essential to patient safety. This study was a survey of 1800 U.S. medical and surgical interns and residents. The response rate was 47%.  Unprofessional behavior was observed by 75% of respondees, and traditional safety threats observed by 50%. Most interns and residents spoke up when they observed a traditional safety threat (71%) but less than half spoke up when they observed unprofessional behavior (49%).

Comment: speaking up can be difficult and potentially create resentment in the person being reported for unprofessional behavior. This study highlights the need for alternative reporting methods, which maintain anonymity.

BMJ Qual Saf. 2017 Apr 25