"Causal Attribution Training to Help Nurses Identify Causes of Medical Errors: A Randomized Controlled Trial"

Abstract

Objective: This research was conducted to determine the effect of the training given in line with the causal attribution theory on the nurses' determination of the causes of medical errors. Material and Methods: The population of this study, which was performed by using pre-test-post-test controlled randomized real trial method consisted of nurses working in inpatient treatment units of Bingöl State Hospital and Elazığ Training and Research Hospital (n=675). In the power analysis performed to determine the sample size of the study, the minimum sample size was determined as 176 nurses (88 in the experimental group, 88 in the control group). The experimental group was provided training on “Determination of the Causes of Medical Errors by Nurses” in line with Causal Attribution Theory. The data were collected using a Personal Information Form and the Causal Dimension Scale II. Results: An intergroup comparison of the mean post-test scores of the experimental and control groups revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: While there was no significant change between the groups in the pre-test evaluation of the experimental and control group mean scores, it was determined that there was a significant difference between the groups in the experimental group compared to the control group in the post-test evaluation. After the training given to the experimental group in line with the Causal Attribution Theory, it was determined that there is consistency in the uploads of the nurses regarding the causes of medical errors.