Psychological safety and patient safety: A systematic and narrative review

Objectives

Various psychological concepts have been proposed over time as potential solutions to improving patient safety and quality of care. Psychological safety has been identified as a crucial mechanism of learning and development, and one that can facilitate optimal patient safety in healthcare. We investigated the quantitative evidence on the relationship between psychological safety and objective patient safety outcomes.

Methods

We searched 8 databases and conducted manual scoping to identify peer reviewed quantitative studies published up to February 2024. Objective patient safety outcomes of any type were eligible. The findings were analysed descriptively and discussed in a narrative synthesis.

Results

Nine papers were selected for inclusion which reported on heterogeneous patient safety outcomes. Five studies showed a significant relationship between psychological safety and patient safety outcomes (e.g., ventilator associated events, reported medical errors). The majority of studies reported on the experiences of nurses working in healthcare from the USA. Patient safety is consistently characterised as the absence of harm rather than a culture that creates a safe environment.

Conclusions

No clear conclusions can be extracted regarding the relationship between psychological safety and patient safety. For example, reporting patient safety problems in a team can be an indication of both high and low psychological safety. Patient safety may be contradictory to elements of psychological safety, as the absence of harm is not congruent with a safety environment approach. Systematic review registration: This systematic review is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO CRD4202347829).