Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (614 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Efforts to reduce risk, to address and reduce incidents and accidents that may negatively impact healthcare consumers.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Patient Safeties; Safeties, Patient; Safety, Patient.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Safety
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 29,502 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Patient Safety” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 9,212 of them (31.2%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 20,606 records.
Reviews account for 5,114 records (17.3%) and meta-analyses for 389. Randomized controlled trials number 730 (2.5%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 0 |
| 2000-2009 | 77 |
| 2010-2019 | 20,606 |
| 2020 onward | 9,212 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 5,114 | 17.3% |
| Meta-analyses | 389 | 1.3% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 730 | 2.5% |
Method: PubMed query "Patient Safety"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in public health and nutrition
Population and nutrition studies mostly observe what people eat, breathe or are exposed to and then look for links with health, which shows association and not proof of cause. Self-reported diet is imprecise, people who eat or live differently also differ in other ways, and effects measured across a population may not apply to one person. Check the study design, how exposure was measured, what else was accounted for and the size of the effect, not only whether it was statistically significant.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital health: current applications, challenges, and future directions for enhancing healthcare quality and safety | 2025 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 10 | cc by PMID 41089861 · DOI · PMC12516163 |
| MRI and Implant Safety at Low-Field and Ultralow-Field Strengths | 2026 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 41416779 · DOI · PMC12721591 |
| Patient Safety Culture and Nurses' Turnover Intention: The Serial Mediating Roles of Burnout and Job Satisfaction | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 41888032 · DOI · PMC13569096 |
Digital health: current applications, challenges, and future directions for enhancing healthcare quality and safety [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) have become a cornerstone of modern healthcare, significantly improving quality and safety across clinical practice, public health, and medical research.
- Closing excerpt
- By overcoming these challenges, DHTs can further elevate healthcare standards, fostering a safer and more efficient global healthcare system.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (161 words)
Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) have become a cornerstone of modern healthcare, significantly improving quality and safety across clinical practice, public health, and medical research. Originating in the mid-to-late 20th century, DHTs have facilitated substantial progress in personalized medicine, predictive analytics, and remote patient monitoring through the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), wearable devices, and telemedicine platforms. During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, these technologies proved indispensable for epidemic surveillance and precision containment, while also mitigating healthcare access disruptions. Nevertheless, critical challenges including the digital ethics and equity, technical and regulatory policy restrictions, privacy and data security concerns, and clinical workflow integration issues remain to be addressed. This narrative review explores the transformative role of DHTs throughout the disease management continuum-from prevention to prognosis-and evaluates their contributions to healthcare quality and safety. It also provides strategies for stakeholders to address existing barriers. By overcoming these challenges, DHTs can further elevate healthcare standards, fostering a safer and more efficient global healthcare system.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41089861 · DOI · PMC12516163
MRI and Implant Safety at Low-Field and Ultralow-Field Strengths [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Despite its unequivocal value in radiological diagnosis, access to conventional high-field MRI systems remains extremely uneven across the world.
- Closing excerpt
- TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 5.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (177 words)
Despite its unequivocal value in radiological diagnosis, access to conventional high-field MRI systems remains extremely uneven across the world. Access is particularly limited in underfunded and remote settings, due to the high cost and infrastructure requirements of MRI systems. Low-field MRI offers a range of benefits including affordability, portability, suitability for use in intensive care units, and for point-of-care imaging. Different low-field configurations enhance flexibility in various clinical scenarios, including imaging claustrophobic or obese subjects, accommodating different body postures, extremity-focused investigations, and neonatal imaging. Moreover, lower field strengths offer important safety benefits. However, the overarching assumption that lower fields are safe without exception may foster a false sense of security, potentially leading to hazardous situations. On behalf of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, this paper provides a comprehensive review of important safety considerations for low-field MRI, aiming to inform users and stakeholders of both its benefits and limitations, and to empower them toward its safe use. These recommendations are likely to evolve as new evidence becomes available. EVIDENCE LEVEL: 5. TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 5.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41416779 · DOI · PMC12721591
Patient Safety Culture and Nurses' Turnover Intention: The Serial Mediating Roles of Burnout and Job Satisfaction [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- AimTo investigate whether patient safety culture is associated with nurses' turnover intention and to examine correlational sequential pathways involving burnout and job satisfaction, drawing on Conservation of Resources theory.
- Closing excerpt
- Patient or public contributionNo patient or public contribution.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (276 words)
AimTo investigate whether patient safety culture is associated with nurses' turnover intention and to examine correlational sequential pathways involving burnout and job satisfaction, drawing on Conservation of Resources theory.DesignA descriptive, correlational design.MethodsThis study used data collected during 2023 from a hospital-wide patient safety culture survey conducted in four hospitals in South Korea. The sample comprised 3082 nurses from diverse units. Relationships among patient safety culture, burnout, job satisfaction, and turnover intention were examined using a mediation model within a structural equation modelling framework (WLSMV estimator with probit link), controlling for age and hospital tenure.ResultsPatient safety culture was associated with lower burnout and higher job satisfaction. Burnout was associated with lower job satisfaction and with a higher likelihood of turnover intention, whereas job satisfaction was associated with a lower likelihood of turnover intention. When burnout and job satisfaction were considered together, the association between patient safety culture and turnover intention was explained through these two factors rather than by a direct pathway.ConclusionPatient safety culture functions as an organizational resource that relates to reduced burnout and enhanced job satisfaction, which together relate to lower intention to leave.Implications for the professionStrengthening patient safety culture-alongside efforts to reduce strain and foster positive job attitudes-may support nurse well-being and improve retention, thereby supporting continuity and safety of patient care.ImpactThis study addresses persistent nurse turnover intention in hospitals and identifies patient safety culture as an organizational lever that operates through reduced burnout and improved job satisfaction. The findings can guide nurse leaders and policymakers in hospitals to implement culture-focused strategies that support staff well-being, enhance retention, and sustain safe patient care.Reporting methodSTROBE guidelines were followed.Patient or public contributionNo patient or public contribution.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41888032 · DOI · PMC13569096
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Association Between Physician Burnout and Patient Safety, Professionalism, and Patient Satisfaction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis [4]
- Research article Nurse Burnout and Patient Safety, Satisfaction, and Quality of Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [5]
- Research article Safety of Patient Mobilization and Rehabilitation in the Intensive Care Unit. Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis [6]
- Research article Preventable medication harm across health care settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis [7]
- Research article Influence of Burnout on Patient Safety: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [8]
- Research article Exercise and colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise safety, feasibility and effectiveness [9]
Full-text reviews on EvidenceLib
Open-access review articles about this topic, reproduced in full with authors, licence and references.
Exploring the theory, barriers and enablers for patient and public involvement across health, social care and patient safety: a systematic review of reviews
Josephine Ocloo, Sara Garfield, Bryony Dean Franklin et al. · Health Research Policy and Systems 2021 · CC BY 4.0
The potential of artificial intelligence to improve patient safety: a scoping review
David W Bates, David Levine, Ania Syrowatka et al. · NPJ Digital Medicine 2021 · CC BY 4.0
Role of Artificial Intelligence in Patient Safety Outcomes: Systematic Literature Review
Avishek Choudhury, Onur Asan, Christian Lovis et al. · JMIR Medical Informatics 2020 · CC BY 4.0
The safety of health care for ethnic minority patients: a systematic review
Ashfaq Chauhan, Merrilyn Walton, Elizabeth Manias et al. · International Journal for Equity in Health 2020 · CC BY 4.0
References
- Hu S, Song D, Wan S, Zhang S, Luo C, Li N, et al.. Digital health: current applications, challenges, and future directions for enhancing healthcare quality and safety. . 2025. PMID 41089861 · DOI · PMC12516163
- Kopanoglu E, Steckner M, Hoff MN, Campbell-Washburn AE, Webb AG, Reeder SB, et al.. MRI and Implant Safety at Low-Field and Ultralow-Field Strengths. . 2026. PMID 41416779 · DOI · PMC12721591
- Lee SE, Park SY, Veliz P, Jardine J. Patient Safety Culture and Nurses' Turnover Intention: The Serial Mediating Roles of Burnout and Job Satisfaction. . 2026. PMID 41888032 · DOI · PMC13569096
- Panagioti M, Geraghty K, Johnson J, Zhou A, Panagopoulou E, Chew-Graham C, et al.. Association Between Physician Burnout and Patient Safety, Professionalism, and Patient Satisfaction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2018. PMID 30193239 · DOI · PMC6233757
- Li LZ, Yang P, Singer SJ, Pfeffer J, Mathur MB, Shanafelt T. Nurse Burnout and Patient Safety, Satisfaction, and Quality of Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2024. PMID 39499515 · DOI · PMC11539016
- Nydahl P, Sricharoenchai T, Chandra S, Kundt FS, Huang M, Fischill M, et al.. Safety of Patient Mobilization and Rehabilitation in the Intensive Care Unit. Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017. PMID 28231030 · DOI
- Hodkinson A, Tyler N, Ashcroft DM, Keers RN, Khan K, Phipps D, et al.. Preventable medication harm across health care settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Med. 2020. PMID 33153451 · DOI · PMC7646069
- Garcia CL, Abreu LC, Ramos JLS, Castro CFD, Smiderle FRN, Santos JAD, et al.. Influence of Burnout on Patient Safety: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicina (Kaunas). 2019. PMID 31480365 · DOI · PMC6780563
- Singh B, Hayes SC, Spence RR, Steele ML, Millet GY, Gergele L. Exercise and colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise safety, feasibility and effectiveness. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2020. PMID 32972439 · DOI · PMC7513291
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.