Pediatric Nurses' Experiences of Disclosing Medical Errors to Families: A Phenomenological Inquiry

Mohammadpour, Yousef; Abdollahi, Reza

doi:10.22038/jpp.2026.97813.5714

Pediatric Nurses' Experiences of Disclosing Medical Errors to Families: A Phenomenological Inquiry

Document Type : original article

Authors

Yousef Mohammadpour

Reza Abdollahi

Patient Safety Research Center, Clinical Research Institute, Nursing & Midwifery School, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.

10.22038/jpp.2026.97813.5714

Abstract

Background: Medical errors in pediatric settings have profound implications for patient safety and healthcare professionals’ psychological well-being. However, little is known about how pediatric nurses in low- and middle-income countries experience disclosing errors to families. This study explored the lived experiences of pediatric nurses in Urmia, Iran, regarding medical error disclosure to families.
Methods: A descriptive phenomenological study employing Colaizzi’s seven-step method was conducted. Sixteen pediatric nurses from tertiary teaching hospitals in Urmia, Iran, participated in semi-structured interviews between March and September 2025. Participants had at least one year of pediatric experience and self-reported involvement in a medical error within the prior 24 months. Data analysis followed phenomenological procedures, with trustworthiness ensured through Lincoln and Guba’s criteria.
Results: Four main themes emerged: (1) “The Weight of the Unspoken”—embodied moral distress and fear of family response; (2) “Walking a Tightrope Without a Net”—navigating hierarchical constraints (physician gatekeeping) and institutional silence (absence of disclosure policies); (3) “The Moment of Truth”—disclosure encounters as turning points, with healing disclosure contrasting with nondisclosure regret; (4) “Carrying It Home”—enduring psychological consequences including intrusive memories, hypervigilance, and absence of organizational aftercare. Negative cases demonstrated that supportive environments enabled successful disclosure. Negative-case analysis demonstrated that supportive physician-nurse collaboration and visible administrative backing enabled successful disclosure among three participants, thereby complicating the dominant narrative of inevitable nondisclosure.
Conclusions: Within this sample of 16 Iranian pediatric nurses, error disclosure is experienced as an intensely distressing phenomenon shaped by fear of family betrayal, hierarchical physician control, policy absence, and lack of aftercare. The findings suggest an urgent need for culturally tailored disclosure protocols, communication training, and second-victim aftercare in this context.

Keywords

Disclosure

Medical errors

Patient safety

Pediatric nursing

Phenomenology

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