Upholding Patient Safety Culture: A Protocol for Scoping Review of Psychosocial Safety Climate and Safety Competence among Healthcare Workers

In hospitals and clinics around the world, the quality of care depends on more than just medical technology or surgical skill. It relies heavily on the environment in which healthcare workers operate and the mindset they bring to their daily tasks. Two specific ideas help explain why some medical teams prevent errors while others struggle. The first is the "psychosocial safety climate," which refers to the shared feeling among staff that their organization truly cares about their mental well-being and psychological safety. When a hospital prioritizes this, it signals that management values workers' psychological health as much as their physical safety. The second concept is "safety competence," which describes the actual knowledge, skills, and habits that nurses, doctors, and other staff use to recognize risks and follow safety rules. These two elements are deeply connected: a supportive environment helps workers develop the confidence and ability to act safely, which in turn creates a culture where patient safety is the top priority for everyone.

Researchers Isaac K. Agbenyezi, Mustapha Amoadu, and Edward W. Ansah have designed a comprehensive plan to map out how these ideas fit together across the globe. Their work is not a new experiment with patients, but a systematic review of existing studies to see what is already known. They are gathering evidence from thousands of pages of research to understand the relationship between an organization's attitude toward worker well-being and the ability of its staff to keep patients safe. The team is looking for a clear picture of how these factors interact, specifically focusing on the period from January 2010 to the present. By bringing together studies from many different countries and disciplines, they aim to fill gaps in current knowledge and provide a solid foundation for future improvements in healthcare systems.

To build this picture, the researchers will search through eight major scientific databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, as well as specialized repositories for global health and labor issues. They are casting a wide net to find any peer-reviewed article, report, or thesis written in English that involves healthcare workers and discusses at least one of their three key topics: psychosocial safety climate, safety competence, or patient safety culture. The team will exclude studies that focus on workers outside of healthcare, such as those in construction or manufacturing, to ensure the findings apply specifically to medical settings. They will also leave out any research that does not connect these concepts to the people who actually deliver care.

Once they have collected the relevant studies, the researchers will use a rigorous process to sort through them. Six trained graduate students, under the supervision of the lead authors, will read the titles and abstracts to decide which papers are worth a closer look. They will then read the full text of the remaining studies to ensure they meet all the criteria. To make sure the process is fair and accurate, two reviewers will work independently on each paper, and any disagreements will be resolved through discussion. The team will extract specific details from each study, such as where it was conducted, who participated, and what the main findings were. This data will be organized and analyzed to identify common patterns and themes, rather than just listing numbers or statistics.

The goal of this review is to produce a clear, evidence-based guide for hospital leaders and policymakers. By understanding how a supportive workplace culture influences the skills and behaviors of healthcare workers, organizations can design better training programs and management strategies. The researchers believe that when workers feel psychologically safe and supported, they are better equipped to handle the complex demands of their jobs and to prevent mistakes that could harm patients. This work supports global efforts to improve health outcomes and aligns with international goals for safer working conditions and universal health coverage. Ultimately, the review aims to show that investing in the mental and emotional well-being of staff is not just a kindness, but a critical strategy for saving lives.