Registered nurses select multiple factors associated with their errors.

Errors in health care are a leading cause of death and injury, requiring new methods for evaluating the efficacy of health care services. A board of nursing staff member conducted a study to examine perceptions of registered nurses who had been sanctioned for practice errors to ascertain the level of patient harm, and individual, health care team, patient, and system factors that contributed to the error or patient harm. Gaining the perspective of nurses who have been involved in a practice error can contribute to a better understanding of the factors involved in error commission.