Patient and Health Professional Perspectives about Engaging Patients in Addressing Patient Safety: A Systematic Review Protocol

BACKGROUND: Patient safety is crucial to the provision of quality healthcare and has become increasingly important with the world health organisation recognising the significance of patient engagement in safety issues. Despite an increasing amount of literature examining the engagement of patients in addressing their safety, there has been little research examining the perspectives of patients and health professionals regarding the engagement of patients in safety issues. AIM: This protocol aimed to explore the perspectives of patients and health professionals regarding the engagement of patients in safety issues. METHODS: During February 2019, a literature search was conducted using four databases, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus. There were no limits on the year of publication. Two authors were screening the titles, abstracts and full texts of all the studies independently of each other and potential discrepancies will be resolved in consultation with the third author. Studies identified in the literature search were assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), and a ‘best fit’ framework synthesis approach was adopted to combine evidence from studies that have used qualitative and mixed methods. CONCLUSION: The results from this study can be used to develop interventions to increase patient engagement with patient safety.