A systematic review of how leadership affects the establishment of patient safety in the healthcare industry of low- and middle-income countries

Abstract

Introduction: Patient safety is still a major challenge in all the countries. Finding a solution to the patient safety issue in healthcare has important global repercussions. Healthcare leadership is a critical factor which decides patient safety in positive, negative, or mixed relationships. A wide range of leadership styles are highlighted in the literature and leaders of all healthcare institutions should promptly attend patient safety events. Methods: A systematic review was carried out to find key attributes of leadership characteristics and dimensions which are more important in patient safety in LMICs. Eleven Journals were identified from quality sources based on the desired criteria and reviewed. The author critically evaluated the relationship between leadership and patient safety and proposed suitable leadership characteristics for optimal patient safety. Results. Main leadership attributes revealed that transformational leadership characteristics, the establishment of a patient safety culture and training and education of staff are important factors. Regarding patient safety aspects, improving the knowledge, skills and attitudes of staff, improving the work environment and teamwork are more important. Conclusion: The author suggests healthcare leaders should strengthen safe patient care by adhering to identified leadership attributes and allocating resources to ensure continuous improvement in identified safety dimensions and sustainability through monitoring and evaluation.