Patient Safety in Primary Health Care: A Scoping Review of Characteristics, Thematic Dimensions, and Gaps in the Literature

Abstract

Patient safety in primary health care (PHC) is a multidimensional and systemic phenomenon, although the literature retrieved under the specified search and eligibility criteria was heterogeneous and unevenly distributed across geographic contexts. This scoping review aimed to map, analyze, and synthesize how patient safety is addressed in PHC by identifying the characteristics, thematic dimensions, reported or evaluated strategies, and gaps in the retrieved literature. The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological guidance and was reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. Searches were conducted between 1 and 15 June 2026 in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, LILACS, and SciELO for original empirical publications issued from January 2016 up to the search period in Portuguese, English, or Spanish. Of 497 records identified, 107 publications met the eligibility criteria. Publications were concentrated in Europe (48.6%) and the Americas (37.4%), whereas Asia and Africa accounted for 10.3% and 3.7%, respectively. Among single-country publications, Brazil had the highest frequency (29.0% of the corpus). Quantitative studies predominated (60.7%), and 72.9% of the publications were issued between 2019 and 2024. The thematic synthesis identified seven recurring dimensions: patient safety culture; adverse events and reporting systems; medication safety and polypharmacy; assessment tools and indicators; continuing education and professional training; user participation and person-centered care; and organizational strategies and risk management. Research gaps and future directions were synthesized as a cross-cutting component. The mapped literature addresses patient safety in PHC through clinical, organizational, technological, methodological, and relational perspectives. However, heterogeneity among the publications and the absence of formal critical appraisal preclude conclusions regarding effectiveness, causal effects, comparative superiority, certainty of evidence, or applicability of the mapped strategies across different PHC contexts.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2026 · DOI ↗