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Quality of Healthcare and Patient Safety Across Disciplines: Innovations, Evidence, and Practice

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A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Healthcare Quality, Patient Safety, and Self-care Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2027 | Viewed by 4871

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Editors

Dr. Evangelos Fradelos

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Guest Editor

Department of Nursing, University of Thessaly, 41222 Larissa, Greece
Interests: medical ethics; bioethics; clinical ethics; healthcare ethics; ethical decision-making in healthcare; clinical nursing; spiritual care; development of critical thinking in clinical nursing; mental health across various populations; spirituality and religiosity in healthcare; quality of care and patient safety; burnout and resilience among nursing professionals; psychological distress in chronic illness
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Dr. Aikaterini Toska

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Guest Editor

Department of Nursing, University of Thessaly, 41222 Larissa, PC, Greece
Interests: nursing; quality of care; antibiotic prescription practices in pediatric care; quality of care and patient safety

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Quality of care and patient safety are key pillars of an effective and sustainable health system. Health professionals', especially nurses’, contribution to promoting safety, reducing errors, maintaining high standards of care, and improving patient outcomes has emerged as critical. The increasing complexity of the services provided, the challenges of the modern clinical environment, and the need for continuous improvement of care processes make it imperative to investigate and document good practices that enhance quality and safety.

This Special Issue aims to bring together original research studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses that focus on:

Factors affecting the quality of nursing care,
Interventions to improve patient safety.
Contribution of education, leadership, and organizational culture to the promotion of high-quality care.

Studies of particular interest include those that examine the implementation of evidence-based interventions; strategies to reduce errors and complications; health policies aimed at ensuring quality care; and educational and professional empowerment programs for health professionals. Interested researchers and clinicians are invited to submit papers that focus on the development, implementation, or evaluation of practices that improve patient safety and enhance the role of healthcare professionals in modern clinical reality.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue titled "Quality of Healthcare and Patient Safety Across Disciplines: Innovations, Evidence, and Practice." This issue seeks high-quality submissions that address the interconnections between care quality and patient safety in diverse healthcare contexts. We welcome original research articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses that explore clinical innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, leadership practices, policy implementation, and other factors that influence the delivery of safe and effective care. Contributions from nursing, medicine, public health, and allied health disciplines are strongly encouraged.

This Special Issue aims to critically examine the interplay between quality of care and patient safety within contemporary healthcare systems. Adopting a multidisciplinary lens, it seeks to bring together empirical research, systematic reviews, and theoretical analyses that illuminate how clinical practices, organizational structures, and interprofessional collaboration influence both care quality and patient outcomes. The issue aspires to advance scholarly discourse and inform evidence-based strategies for improving safety and effectiveness in health service delivery.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Factors that influence the quality of care (e.g., professional competence, workload, staff satisfaction)
Leadership and promoting safety culture in health systems (role of clinical and administrative leadership)
Educational initiatives to strengthen safety culture (training programs, enhanced safety skills development in health professionals)
Prevention of healthcare-associated infections (e.g., CLABSI, CAUTI, SSI, prevention standards, and implementation of protocols)
Falls prevention in clinical and long-term care settings (prevention interventions, risk assessment tools, safety policies)
Evidence-based interventions for improving clinical practice (implementation of evidence-based practices, quality improvement)
Digital technologies, innovation, and improving patient safety (e-health, tele-health, monitoring systems)

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Evangelos Fradelos
Dr. Aikaterini Toska
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-anonymized 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.

Keywords

quality of care
patient safety
ethics in healthcare
interdisciplinary collaboration
evidence-based practice
clinical governance
healthcare quality improvement
nursing practice
patient values
health systems safety

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 223 KB

Open AccessArticle

Building Safety Through Orientation: Current Practices of Client and Patient Safety Onboarding in Finland

by Saara Ketola, Sini Eloranta and Salla Seppänen

Healthcare 2026, 14(15), 2411; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14152411 - 5 Aug 2026

Viewed by 263

Abstract

Comprehensive orientation is essential for ensuring client and patient safety, strengthening safety culture, and supporting workforce competence in social and health care. Although orientation is recognized as an important patient safety intervention, little is known about how comprehensively client and patient safety topics are incorporated into orientation programs. This study evaluated the extent to which client and patient safety topics were incorporated into orientation programs across Finnish wellbeing services counties. Data: A cross-sectional electronic survey was conducted in 2024. The questionnaire was based on the Finnish national client and patient safety orientation framework and included thirty-nine orientation topics covering safety management, occupational safety, safety culture, risk management, medication safety, infection prevention, information security, and emergency preparedness. Responses were requested from ten predefined social and health care service areas in each of Finland’s 23 wellbeing services counties. Fourteen counties participated, yielding 107 responses. Results: Traditional client and patient safety topics were widely incorporated into orientation programs. The highest affirmative responses concerned individual job responsibilities, confidentiality, processing of client and patient information, occupational safety, medication competence, and incident reporting (all 96–99%). In contrast, psychological safety (58%), second victim practices (14%), self-monitoring programs and plans (42% and 54%), safety culture assessment (41%), and client and patient safety in digital and remote services (62%) were incorporated less frequently. Conclusions: This study provides a national overview of client and patient safety orientation practices based on responses from participating Finnish wellbeing services counties. Traditional client and patient safety topics were widely incorporated into orientation programs, whereas psychological safety, second victim support, self-monitoring, and digital safety were less consistently represented. The findings suggest that implementation of patient safety priorities is uneven across safety domains, with newer organizational and systems-oriented topics appearing less embedded in orientation than traditional clinical safety topics. Orientation may therefore be viewed not merely as an onboarding activity but also as a strategic mechanism for implementing patient safety priorities within healthcare organizations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality of Healthcare and Patient Safety Across Disciplines: Innovations, Evidence, and Practice)

12 pages, 846 KB

Open AccessArticle

Knowledge, Lifestyle, and Attitudes Toward Nutritional Assessment and Counseling Among Physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia: Implications for Healthcare Quality and Interdisciplinary Practice—A Cross-Sectional Study Across Multiple Regions of Saudi Arabia

by Mohamed M. Ahmed, Azza A. Al Areefy, Rama M. Chandika, Ramzi Abdu Alajam, Alanoud Huraysi, Marim Ali M. Slimani, Bsmah H. Alfaifi, Huda M. Mobarki, Laila Shamakhi, Ehab Y. Elbendary and Wafaa Mahmoud Amin

Healthcare 2026, 14(14), 2101; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14142101 - 14 Jul 2026

Viewed by 468

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Nutrition is essential in healthcare and rehabilitation, although the readiness of physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia to integrate nutritional assessment and counseling remains ambiguous. This study aimed to assess their knowledge of nutrition, lifestyle choices, and attitudes towards incorporating nutrition into practice. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 500 licensed physiotherapists practicing across Saudi Arabia and used a culturally adapted questionnaire derived from previously validated instruments. The survey assessed background characteristics, nutrition knowledge, nutritional lifestyle, and attitudes toward integrating nutrition into physical therapy. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Results: Participants demonstrated moderate nutrition knowledge (59.68 ± 17.25) and favorable nutritional lifestyles (20.67 ± 3.79), with positive attitudes toward integrating nutritional assessment and counseling into their practice (13.63 ± 4.64). A significant positive correlation was observed between nutritional lifestyle scores and nutrition integration scores (r = 0.29, p < 0.01). Because lower nutritional lifestyle scores indicate healthier lifestyles and lower integration scores reflect greater integration, participants with healthier nutritional lifestyles tend to show greater nutrition integration. Nutrition knowledge scores were negatively correlated with integration scores (r = −0.37, p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis identified professional seniority, nutritional lifestyle, and nutrition knowledge as significant predictors of nutrition integration score, explaining 22.8% of the variance (F = 29.24, R² = 0.22, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Saudi physiotherapists showed positive attitudes toward integrating nutritional assessment and counseling into the practice, but their nutrition knowledge was moderate, with knowledge gaps. Nutrition integration correlated significantly with nutritional lifestyle scores, nutrition knowledge, and professional seniority. The findings indicate the need to improve nutrition-related competencies and interdisciplinary collaboration in rehabilitation practice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality of Healthcare and Patient Safety Across Disciplines: Innovations, Evidence, and Practice)

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14 pages, 368 KB

Open AccessArticle

Patient Safety Communication Priorities Among New Graduate Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

by Haena Jang

Healthcare 2026, 14(13), 1933; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14131933 - 1 Jul 2026

Viewed by 338

Abstract

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to identify educational priorities for patient safety communication among new graduate nurses using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA). Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive, secondary analysis involved 142 new graduates from four colleges in South Korea. Participants’ communication competencies were evaluated using a tool based on the Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) framework. IPA was used to prioritize four patient safety communication competencies and 28 items by comparing perceived importance with confidence levels. Results: The perceived importance of patient safety communication was significantly higher than confidence across all domains (p < 0.001). Based on the IPA matrix, verbal and non-verbal communication (importance: 4.37, confidence: 3.77) was positioned in Quadrant I (‘keep up the good work’). Communication in high-risk situations (importance: 4.31, confidence: 3.36) was classified in Quadrant II (‘concentrate here’). Written communication (importance: 4.18, confidence: 3.46) and communication technologies (importance: 4.20, confidence: 3.42) were classified in Quadrant III (‘low priority’). Conclusions: To bridge the gap between importance and confidence, it is crucial to identify specific high-risk clinical scenarios and develop educational programs that emphasize practical communication skills. These educational efforts should be strengthened in both undergraduate nursing curricula and nurse residency programs to enhance the clinical readiness of new nurses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality of Healthcare and Patient Safety Across Disciplines: Innovations, Evidence, and Practice)

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12 pages, 343 KB

Open AccessArticle

Patient and Staff Safety Incidents in Korean Dental Practice: Implications for Quality of Care and Safer Healthcare Delivery

by Kyeol Koh and Se Hoon Kahm

Healthcare 2026, 14(13), 1895; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14131895 - 30 Jun 2026

Viewed by 410

Abstract

Objectives: Patient safety is central to healthcare quality, yet dental practice also involves occupational risks for professionals. This study examined the lifetime prevalence and types of patient- and staff-safety incidents among Korean dental professionals and explored associated demographic, professional, and institutional factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 439 dental professionals in South Korea. Participants reported lifetime experience of predefined safety incidents, institutional safety factors, and demographic and occupational characteristics. Descriptive statistics, profession-based comparisons, and multivariable logistic regression were applied. Results: Overall, 89.1% of respondents reported at least one safety incident. The most common patient-safety events were aspiration or ingestion of teeth or prosthetic materials and instrument-related injury, whereas sharps injuries and verbal abuse were the leading staff-safety issues. Dentists and dental hygienists differed significantly in response knowledge, liability insurance coverage, and safety education. The presence of institutional safety protocols was associated with higher reported incident experience, which may reflect greater recognition and reporting rather than a causal increase in harm. Conclusions: Safety incidents are highly prevalent in Korean dental practice and represent an underrecognized quality-of-care and workforce-safety issue. Integrated strategies including occupational-hygiene measures, structured safety education, non-punitive reporting, and stronger organizational preparedness are needed to improve dental healthcare delivery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality of Healthcare and Patient Safety Across Disciplines: Innovations, Evidence, and Practice)

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20 pages, 819 KB

Open AccessArticle

Perception of Patient Safety Culture Among Healthcare Practitioners in Dammam and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

by Amani K. Alanazi, Mahmoud M. Berekaa, Abdulmalik S. Alsaif, Khalid S. Alsahli, Mohammed T. Aljassim, Mohammed A. Al-Warthan and Manna M. Alwadei

Healthcare 2026, 14(6), 767; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14060767 - 18 Mar 2026

Viewed by 956

Abstract

Background: There is escalating concern about patient safety among healthcare workers (HCWs) due to the alarming number of deaths and disabilities. Objective: The main aim of this study is to explore the perceptions of patient safety culture (PSC) among HCWs in two major cities in Saudi Arabia, compare the findings with those of international studies, and highlight the major strengths and challenges that affect the incorporation of PSC in these two cities. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to assess PSC among HCWs in hospitals in Dammam and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This study utilised the Saudi Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSPSC), which is commonly used by HCWs in the Ministry of Health, and the results were compared with those from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Chi-square tests were used to assess the association between patient safety ratings and the reporting of patient safety events. An independent t-test was used to examine differences in mean scores of study variables between the two cities. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of 737 participants, 357 completed the survey. Physicians were the most common (27%), followed by nurses (11.9%), in Dammam. In Jeddah, nurses were first (20%), followed by transporters and security (12.7 and 11.6%, respectively). Overall, error reporting and supervisor support were areas of strength, while management commitment, teamwork, and incident reporting were identified as areas needing improvement. More than 94% of employees rated patient safety positively. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of HCWs’ perceptions of PSC in Dammam and Jeddah. Overall, patient safety ratings among participants were highly positive (94%), reflecting favourable views of teamwork, supervisor support, and hospital management’s commitment. Although event reporting and teamwork were recognised as major strengths, it is still necessary to implement regular patient safety training programmes and formal patient safety policies to address existing gaps. Overall, PSC ratings were more positive and significantly higher in Dammam than in Jeddah. These findings may help policymakers and managers enhance patient safety and develop more robust systems to protect both patients and HCWs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality of Healthcare and Patient Safety Across Disciplines: Innovations, Evidence, and Practice)

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15 pages, 5068 KB

Open AccessArticle

Mapping the Scientific Landscape Between Respiratory Conditions and Costs: A Bibliometric Analysis

by Ioannis Ch. Lampropoulos, Foteini Malli, Eleftherios Aggelopoulos, Angeliki Tsameti, Erasmia Rouka, Zoe Daniil and Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis

Healthcare 2025, 13(18), 2293; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13182293 - 13 Sep 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1325

Abstract

Introduction: The objective of the present study was to systematically explore the scientific literature to examine the relationship between respiratory diseases and economic cost. The research question focused on identifying the thematic, methodological, and temporal trends that link these two scientific fields. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in the PubMed database using the terms “Pulmonology OR respiratory” AND “Cost”, which returned 30,274 publications from 1921 up to April 2025. For the bibliometric review, VOSviewer software was used to create bibliometric maps through the tools of network, overlay, and density visualization. Results: The analysis revealed six clusters, which include clinical prognosis, pandemics, pharmacoeconomics, epidemiology, chronic conditions, and health services research. After 2010, there was a particularly important increase in academic research related to pulmonology and cost, with this rise being especially evident during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent studies have increasingly focused on cost-effectiveness, quality of life, hospitalization, and multimorbidity. Discussion: The scientific field of respiratory conditions is undergoing a substantial transformation, shifting from traditional clinical descriptions to an interdisciplinary framework that incorporates economic evaluation. This evolution highlights the need for strategies based on economically informed decisions and effective public health policy making. The term “economic cost” in this study refers to both direct costs (e.g., hospitalization and treatment) and indirect economic impacts, such as resource allocation and healthcare burden. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that research linking respiratory diseases and economic cost is expanding rapidly, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, and is characterized by interdisciplinary approaches that combine clinical, epidemiological, and economic perspectives. This trend underlines the importance of integrating cost-effectiveness considerations into respiratory healthcare policies and highlights the need for collaborative strategies to ensure sustainable and efficient health systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality of Healthcare and Patient Safety Across Disciplines: Innovations, Evidence, and Practice)

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