Category	Theme	Sub-theme	Examples	Citation
Formal Education
	Courses	Undergraduate and postgraduate courses	Laws, rules and regulations, including patient complaints	“Well, we learned about the law and rules, and what to say to the patient... And there was a little about where to get help, e.g., from the union. But nothing about self-help and what you could do yourself” (K6E)
			No lessons	“I really do not think we were taught [about this] at university except about complaints – not so much about what you should do yourself” (K9F)
		Postgraduate courses/ teaching	Mandatory courses	“We discussed the adverse events reporting system on the mandatory course” (H2A)
			Departmental teaching	“It proved to be the adverse events reporting system that was on the agenda [in the departmental teaching program]. We did not get to discuss anything else regarding errors” (K5E)
			No teaching	“I do not remember being taught how to communicate about errors or how to manage them” (H4B)
Culture and clinical training
	Formal forums where errors are discussed	Morning conference	Senior talks about errors	“I remember one of my older colleagues at a conference saying: ‘I have made this error….’” (K1D)
		Staff meeting	Adverse events are brought up	“Where I work, the theme “adverse events” is a fixed point on the agenda of the monthly staff meetings” (H1A)
	Informal forum where errors are discussed	Junior doctors’ office		“The error that had happened  -  well, that was something I happened to hear about in the junior doctors’ office” (H4B)
		On mandatory courses (during the breaks)		“[You hear about it] when you talk with your colleagues during mandatory courses – I guess it is a way of getting it out in the air”(K1D)
		Talk in the corners		“In the emergency department, there was a lot of talk [about errors], but not out in the open” (K6E)
	Apprenticeship learning in the clinic	See / hear / learn how others do		“I learned about it from the other doctors in the clinical department… they told about how they manage errors” (K3D)
		Guidance		“I wish somebody had had a talk with me along the lines: ‘Let’s have a look at this’ [error]” (K4E)
	Context / culture	Zero-fault culture		“Generally, I think that you are taught not to make errors” (I1C)
		Taboo	We hide in the corners – there is no openness	“Well, I think that generally we have a culture where you try to hide it” (H3A) “I guess it is kind of taboo, probably because doctors have a tendency to think that they never fail” (K9F)
		We learn from errors		“The best places I have worked were where you talked about errors and where it was OK to make errors” (K7F)
		Ending / Follow-up	How did it end?	“I was not part of [the error] but, for one reason or another I did not hear how the situation was resolved, but maybe nobody knew that I needed this?” (H4B)
			Feedback on reporting adverse events	“We got a list every month of all the adverse events that had been reported – what was done and so forth” (H3A) “Where is the learning from adverse events? When we report a systemic cause of error, it is really seldom we get any feedback on what was done – so the learning potential is lost” (H2A)
	Demands	Formalised teaching in error management, including how to disclose errors	How I am supposed to react towards:The patient, Myself, My colleagues,The organization	“I do not think I am trained to just go and tell or talk to somebody about [an error]” (H3A) “We are not trained in what to do if we make an error” (I2C) “I do not think that (I have learned) what to do myself if I make an error or how I could work with my own reactions” (K3E) “I do think that we should have more training on how to manage errors personally. You cannot look up how to overcome a bad conscience or that feeling of pain in the stomach” (K4E)
		Supervisor competence	Supervisors not trained	“I do not know ifsupervisors are trained in how to handle trainees who make an error, but I do think that would be a good idea” (K4E)
Need for more training
	Suggestions to improve junior docors’ training			“Part of our responsibility as junior doctors is to train and talk about them [errors and error management]”

Int J Med Educ. 2025; 16:148-155; doi: 10.5116/ijme.68d1.1e73