Patient safety in marginalised groups: a narrative scoping review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare research
• Patient safety
• Health equity

Background:

• Marginalised populations experience severe health inequities and increased risk of patient safety incidents.
• Existing literature lacks a comprehensive analysis of patient safety research concerning these groups.
• Understanding these issues is crucial for addressing health disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze the literature on patient safety for marginalised groups.
• To determine which marginalised groups are studied in patient safety research.
• To understand specific patient safety issues and contributing factors for these populations.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted.
• Systematic searches were performed across six electronic databases from 2000 to present.
• 67 articles were included from an initial yield of 3346.

Main Results:

• Patient safety issues were identified for fourteen marginalised groups, with ethnic minorities, the frail elderly, care home residents, and low socio-economic status groups being most studied.
• Medication safety, adverse outcomes, and near misses were the most frequent patient safety issues identified.
• 157 contributing factors were mapped, indicating multifactorial origins including patient, provider, and healthcare system factors.

Conclusions:

• Marginalised patient groups are highly vulnerable to patient safety issues.
• Gaps exist in research, particularly for groups with mental health problems or cognitive impairments.
• Further research and collaborative interventions are needed to minimize risks for these populations.