Patient Safety Culture in Healthcare Facilities: A Prisma-Based Systematic Literature Review and Vosviewer Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Patient safety is a global concern because unsafe care contributes to preventable morbidity, mortality and economic loss. A supportive patient safety culture—shared values, beliefs and norms that encourage safe practice—helps prevent errors and fosters learning. This study conducted a systematic literature review following PRISMA 2020 to synthesise evidence on patient safety culture in healthcare facilities and to analyse research trends through bibliometric mapping. Searches of Scopus and Web of Science identified 20 eligible studies published in English between 2015 and 2025. Most were cross‑sectional surveys in hospital settings, and all used the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC/SOPS) v1.0 or v2.0. Patient safety culture was generally rated as moderate. Teamwork within units and organisational learning received high positive scores, whereas staffing adequacy, non‑punitive response to error and incident reporting scored poorly. Bibliometric mapping showed that research clustered around “patient safety,” “safety culture,” “teamwork” and “organisational learning,” with growing attention to incident reporting. These findings emphasise the importance of supportive leadership, open communication and non‑punitive reporting systems to strengthen patient safety culture. Future studies should employ longitudinal and mixed‑methods designs to illuminate how safety culture evolves over time.