Patient Safety and Psychosocial Risk in the Workplace

Dear Colleagues,

Patient safety focuses on minimizing errors, adverse events, and harm to patients within healthcare systems. Psychosocial risks, on the other hand, encompass factors such as stress, burnout, workplace violence, and mental health challenges that affect healthcare professionals and their ability to provide safe care. These two domains are interconnected, as addressing psychosocial risks among healthcare workers directly impacts their well-being and the quality of care they provide.

We are pleased to invite contributions to a Special Issue titled “Patient Safety and Psychosocial Risk in the Workplace”. This Special Issue aims to explore the dynamic relationship between patient safety and psychosocial risks within healthcare systems. By addressing this intersection, the issue aligns with the journal’s scope to advance knowledge and evidence-based practices that enhance healthcare delivery, professional well-being, and patient outcomes. The issue will focus on understanding how psychosocial factors such as stress, workload, and organizational culture impact patient safety, and conversely, how safety initiatives can mitigate psychosocial risks. This scope encourages submissions that offer innovative approaches, comprehensive reviews, and practical interventions relevant to healthcare professionals, administrators, and stakeholders.

In this Special Issue, we welcome original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and case studies. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following themes:

1. Psychosocial Risk Factors in Healthcare environment
• Burnout and its impact on patient safety.
• Workplace violence and its effects on healthcare delivery.
• Human factors and patient safety in healthcare provision. 
• Stress management and organizational interventions.
2. Patient Safety and Workforce Well-being
• How psychosocial risks compromise patient safety.
• Strategies to improve resilience and mental health among healthcare workers.
• The role of leadership and organizational culture in fostering safety and well-being.
3. Integration of Psychosocial Risk Management and Safety Practices
• Evidence-based interventions that target both patient safety and workforce well-being.
• Case studies of successful implementation in diverse healthcare settings.
• Cross-cultural studies that address psychosocial and safety challenges.
4. Technological and Policy Innovations
• The role of technology in mitigating psychosocial risks and improving patient safety.
• Policy frameworks to address the dual challenges of psychosocial risks and patient safety.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Maria Malliarou
Dr. Pavlos Sarafis
Dr. Aristomenis Kotsakis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• patient safety
• psychosocial risks
• burnout
• nursing
• quality of care
• stress
• well-being
• errors
• adverse events
• near misses