Drivers of medical errors in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU): A qualitative analysis

Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are particularly susceptible to medical errors. This qualitative study sought to determine the drivers of medical errors in the NICU and suggestions for preventing medical errors among NICU registered nurses (RNs) and respiratory therapists (RTs). Qualitative analyses consisted of categorizing data based on themes. Themes that emerged from the qualitative analyses were also informed by the socio-ecological model, including themes related to organizational, interpersonal, and individual factors. The themes included organizational categories of fear, workload, staff, and pay; the interpersonal category of communication; and individual categories of natural causes, fear, and concentration. These themes can be used to inform future research studies to develop interventions in a multi-level framework to reduce medical errors in the NICU.