The active patient: Voicing and correcting behaviors by patients and families to ensure safety in healthcare organizations

Summary

Healthcare research increasingly observes that patients and families can be highly active in trying to prevent medical accidents. However, the safety literature lacks a model of these behaviours. This study aimed to establish a model of the behaviours used by patients and families to prevent accidents and ensure safety whilst in hospital. Using a mixed qualitative-quantitative research design, the authors analyzed 1,857 healthcare complaints submitted by patients and families to UK hospitals reporting poor treatment experiences. Their analysis focused upon reports within the complaints of healthcare users engaging in (1) voicing behaviors to raise concerns about safety with staff and (2) correcting behaviors to directly resolve safety issues.