The reasons of the nursing staff to notify adverse events

OBJECTIVE: this research aimed to understand the motivation for reporting adverse events from the perspective of nursing staff in the work environment.METHOD: qualitative study that used the phenomenology of Alfred Schutz for reference, which offers a systematic approach to understand the social aspects of human action. Data were collected by open interviews with 17 nurses and 14 technicians/assistant nurses in a university hospital.RESULTS: motivation was revealed through six categories: all types of occurrences must be reported; the incident report is an auxiliary instrument to health care provision management; the culture of punishment in transition; nurses as the agents responsible for voluntary reporting; sharing problems with higher management and achieving quality in the work process.DISCUSSION: it was unveiled that, when reporting adverse events, team members perceived themselves to be in a collaborative relationship with the institution and trusted that they would receive administrative support and professional security, which encouraged them to continue reporting. Reporting allows health care professionals to share responsibilities with managers and encourages corrective actions.FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: the study revealed the nursing staff's motivation for adverse event reporting, contributing to reflections on institutional policies aimed at patient safety in health care.