Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: Patients for patient safety has been increasingly important and much research has been done in the last decade. Research has focused on assessing the patients' attitudes toward patients' engagement and to evaluate interventions to encourage patients in safety-related actions.
Objectives: Our study aims to investigate the current research status of patients for patient safety in The Cochrane Library.
Methods: We developed a search strategy with MeSH terms including iatrogenic disease or medical errors/ prevention and control, medical errors/ adverse effects, safety management or cross infection/ prevention and control. The Cochrane Library Issue 4, 2011 was searched. We selectively reviewed the evidence that was likely to assess patients' attitudes or evaluate interventions to promote patient participation in patient safety by first screening identified titles and then re-reading the abstracts.
Results: Searches of The Cochrane Library yielded 236 candidate articles, of which only three studies met our needs. There were no studies designed to assess patients' attitudes to patient safety. Three interventions from three studies published from 2008 to 2010 were evaluated. They were treatment education programs, secure electronic messages and a decision aid about risk of acute coronary syndrome. All of these interventions aimed at increasing the knowledge and information of patients, which could promote patient involvement in patient safety. Two of them were in specialist areas: one on occurrence of hemorrhagic or thromboembolic events and another on acute coronary syndrome. Except for one study that is still in progress, other two studies showed improvement in patient safety.
Conclusions: Patient safety research, which is very important, is very limited. Greater attention should be paid by the Collaboration to this field to ensure that safer health care will be provided for patients.
Objectives: Our study aims to investigate the current research status of patients for patient safety in The Cochrane Library.
Methods: We developed a search strategy with MeSH terms including iatrogenic disease or medical errors/ prevention and control, medical errors/ adverse effects, safety management or cross infection/ prevention and control. The Cochrane Library Issue 4, 2011 was searched. We selectively reviewed the evidence that was likely to assess patients' attitudes or evaluate interventions to promote patient participation in patient safety by first screening identified titles and then re-reading the abstracts.
Results: Searches of The Cochrane Library yielded 236 candidate articles, of which only three studies met our needs. There were no studies designed to assess patients' attitudes to patient safety. Three interventions from three studies published from 2008 to 2010 were evaluated. They were treatment education programs, secure electronic messages and a decision aid about risk of acute coronary syndrome. All of these interventions aimed at increasing the knowledge and information of patients, which could promote patient involvement in patient safety. Two of them were in specialist areas: one on occurrence of hemorrhagic or thromboembolic events and another on acute coronary syndrome. Except for one study that is still in progress, other two studies showed improvement in patient safety.
Conclusions: Patient safety research, which is very important, is very limited. Greater attention should be paid by the Collaboration to this field to ensure that safer health care will be provided for patients.