Essential elements and outcomes of psychological safety in the healthcare practice setting: A systematic review

Rose D. LaPlante, Patricia Reid Ponte, Cherlie Magny-Normilus

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Psychological safety is considered an essential component of highly effective teamwork in organizations, including healthcare organizations. This systematic review examines essential elements and outcomes of psychological safety in healthcare practice teams to determine best practices for implementing psychological safety. Method: A systematic literature review of published studies that described psychological safety as a variable in healthcare practice settings was conducted. Articles were included if they were published in English, peer reviewed, included nurses or physicians either individually or as part of a team, incorporated psychological safety, presented workforce or patient outcomes, and published in the past 10 years. Results: Out of 220 articles, 30 met the inclusion criteria. This review identifies five essential elements and outcomes of psychological safety in healthcare. Conclusion: This systematic review corroborates the importance of psychological safety to healthcare teams. Directing resources toward ensuring the implementation and enhancement of psychological safety in healthcare teams would improve the likelihood of reliable, safe, and high-quality healthcare delivery.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number151946
JournalApplied Nursing Research
Volume83
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2025

Keywords

  • Healthcare practice setting
  • Healthcare teams
  • Leadership
  • Psychological safety
  • Teamwork

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Nursing

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