RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 How do patients respond to safety problems in ambulatory care? Results of a retrospective cross-sectional telephone survey
JF BMJ Open
JO BMJ Open
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e052973
DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052973
VO 11
IS 11
A1 Svenja Seufert
A1 Werner de Cruppé
A1 Michaela Assheuer
A1 Johannes Leinert
A1 Max Geraedts
YR 2021
UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/11/e052973.abstract
AB Objectives Patients in German ambulatory care frequently report patient safety problems (PSP). It is unclear whether patients report PSP back to their general practitioner (GP) or specialist in charge. This study reports on how patients respond to experienced PSP.Design Retrospective cross-sectional study.Setting Computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) with randomly recruited citizens aged ≥40 years in Germany.Participants 10 037 citizens ≥40 years. About 52% of the interviewees were female, 38% were between 60 and 79 years old and about 47% reported that they were chronically ill. A total of 2589 PSPs was reported.Primary and secondary measures/Results According to the respondents (n=1422, 77%, 95% CI: 74.7 to 79.1), 72% (95% CI: 70.2 to 73.7) of PSP were reported back to the GP in charge or to another GP/specialist. Further reactions were taken by 65% (95% CI: 62.5 to 67.5) of the interviewees: around 63% (95% CI: 62.5 to 66.2) of the reported PSP led to a loss of faith in the physician or to complaints. χ2 and binary logistic regression analyses show significant associations between the (a) reporting and (b) reaction behaviour and determinants like ‘medical treatment area’ ((a) χ2=17.13, p=0.009/(b) χ2=97.58, p=0.000), ‘PSP with/without harm’ ((a) χ2=111.84, p=0.000/(b) χ2=265.39, p=0.000) and sociodemographic characteristics when respondents are aged between 40 and 59 years ((a) OR 2.57/(b) OR 2.60) or have chronic illnesses ((a) OR 2.16/(b) OR 2.14).Conclusion The data suggest that PSPs are frequently reported back to the GP or specialist in charge and have a significant serious impact on the physician–patient relationship. Much could be learnt from the patient reporting and reacting behaviour to prevent PSPs in ambulatory care.Data are available upon reasonable request. All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information. Deidentified data will be made available after all ongoing analyses are completed. Requesters will be required to sign a Letter of Agreement detailing the mechanisms by which the data will be kept secure and access restricted to their study team. The agreements will also state the recipient will not share the data with anyone outside of their research team.