Medical errors of postgraduate medical students: relationships by sex with psychological well-being and academic engagement

Abstract

Introduction: The presence of medical errors represents a substantial hazard to patient safety and their fundamental entitlement to health. Effectively tackling this issue demands a thorough comprehension of the factors affecting mental health, encompassing psychological well-being and engagement, among individuals in the medical field, irrespective of gender. Delving into these factors holds promise for uncovering potential relationships with the incidence of medical errors.

Objective: To determine whether psychological well-being and academic engagement are related to the reporting of medical errors associated with mental health status differently between men and women.

Method: Involving 261 medical specialty students from a Mexican public university (51% women, 49% men, mean age 30.77 years), the study utilized the Ryff Psychological Well-being Scale and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9 for university students. Statistical analyses included the Student’s t-test, chi-square, Pearson correlation coefficient, and logistic regression.

Results: Participants who reported committing medical errors exhibited significantly lower scores in psychological well-being and academic engagement compared to those who did not report any errors (p <0.001). Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between psychological well-being and academic commitment. Among male participants, mastery of the environment emerged as a protective factor against medical errors (p = 0.000), while for female participants, personal growth served as a protective factor (p = 0.029).

Conclusions: Medical errors linked to mental health status are amenable to modification through the enhancement of psychological well-being, which serves as a protective factor. However, addressing this issue necessitates nuanced approaches tailored to the specific considerations of gender.