This study used qualitative methods to understand the experiences of former psychiatric patients that nursing staff considered challenging and that resulted in behavior management interventions (e.g., aggression, self-harm, inappropriate sexual behavior). Interviewed patients cited various reasons for these challenging behaviors, including communication difficulties related to their psychiatric symptoms, stressful feelings such as frustration and fear, coercive nursing culture and restrictive nursing practices. Strategies for managing these behaviors are discussed, as well as core competencies for delivering care based on patients’ needs.

This survey of medical inpatients at five academic medical centers in Finland aimed to elicit patients' perceptions of safety and experience of errors. Investigators found that encouragement from staff, education about patient safety, and comprehensible information all led to higher participation rates. The authors conclude that patients will be more engaged in their safety if frontline staff value patient involvement.

Providing patient-centered care calls for involving patients in all aspects of care. However, patient engagement in safety efforts remains challenging. Analyzing survey data from 21 Finnish patient safety experts, researchers determined that patient participation in maintaining their own safety varied across institutions and did not consistently meet national standards. They suggest that institutions should focus on creating a safety culture that promotes an equal partnership with patients to achieve high quality care.

This literature review found that nurses learn about patient safety through formal curricula and through their clinical experiences. However, the evidence that curricula were effective at improving patient safety knowledge was limited.