Effectiveness of Incident Reporting Tools in Ensuring Patient Safety: A Systematic-Narrative Hybrid Review

Background: Ensuring Patient Safety in healthcare is essential and requires efficient methods to reduce risks and improve the quality of care. Although incident reporting tools are commonly used to identify possible and actual care failures, their efficacy differs among various environments. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of incident reporting tools in enhancing patient safety. Methods: This review employed a combined methodology that integrates systematic and narrative approaches to gain a thorough understanding of incident reporting practices. In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, databases including PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for studies published from January 2013 to December 2023, focusing on the efficacy of incident reporting systems in healthcare. The Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA) was implemented to evaluate the quality of the studies. Finally, key topics were grouped. Results: The search strategy yielded a total of 4,305 records. Of those, 8 were included in the final analysis. The total SANRA scores varied between 9 and 11 out of 12, indicating a generally high level of scientific reasoning and clarity in objectives among the studies. The descriptive analysis focused on factors influencing effectiveness including organizational culture, system design, and follow-up procedures. Conclusion: Incident reporting tools play a crucial role in patient safety but require proper integration into healthcare systems with supportive cultures and effective feedback mechanisms to realize their full potential.