Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The aims of this project were : to explore the usefulness of the typology of rule-related behaviours specified by Reason, Parker and Lawton (1998); to collect information on the reaction of medical staff to the advent of proceduralisation as a way of managing risk in the health service; to assess the differential impact of proceduralisation on a group specifically educated in the exercise of professional judgement (doctors), and a group with more highly prescribed working practices (nurses); to assess the effects of proceduralisation in the health service on public perceptions of risk and responsibility; to make a contribution to risk management policy in the health service.Main Topics:The dataset consists of two sample files : The medical sample file includes the responses of 311 nurses, midwives and doctors from three English NHS trusts. Each questionnaire includes nine scenarios describing medical incidents (developed by a different group of healthcare professionals) which represent different types of rule-related behaviour. These comprised : compliance with a rule, violation of a rule, and improvisation (where no rule exists). Each questionnaire included three compliance, three violation and three improvisation items. One of each of the behaviour types described a good outcome, one a poor outcome and one a bad outcome. The dataset includes judgement of appropriateness, likelihood of challenge, likelihood of reporting and risk, for each of the nine scenarios. Respondents were also asked to assign responsibility for the outcome. The public sample file includes the responses of 350 members of the general public to the same scenarios. They were asked to rate the appropriateness of the behaviour, the likelihood that they would speak to the person involved and the likelihood that they would make a complaint. Twenty-seven versions of each of the questionnaires were necessary to control for...