Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32727374›Full record

SynthesisBMC medical research methodology2020

Measuring psychological safety in healthcare teams: developing an observational measure to complement survey methods.

Róisín O'Donovan, Desirée Van Dun, Eilish McAuliffe

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC medical research methodology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
35citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

35 citing papers in PubMed.

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  15. Psychological safety, job satisfaction, and the intention to leave among German early-career physicians.International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Róisín O'DonovanCentre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education, and Innovation in Health Systems (IRIS), UCD Health Sciences Centre, School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems, Health Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. roisin.o-donovan@ucdconnect.ie.ORCID 0000-0003-1993-5319
Desirée Van DunFaculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Science, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
Eilish McAuliffeCentre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education, and Innovation in Health Systems (IRIS), UCD Health Sciences Centre, School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems, Health Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Funding

Irish Research Council EBP 2017-462
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPsychological safety is a dynamic team-level phenomenon which exists when team members believe that it is safe to take interpersonal risks. In healthcare teams, the presence of psychological safety is critical to delivering safe care. Scholars have highlighted a need for alternative measures which compliment survey-based measures of psychological safety in healthcare teams.

methodsThe exploratory phase of this study raised concerns about whether current survey measures could provide a sufficient understanding of psychological safety within healthcare teams to inform strategies to improve it. Thus, previously validated psychological safety surveys and a meeting observation measure were adapted for use in healthcare teams. First, two group feedback sessions were held with 22 healthcare professionals, as well as a systematic literature review. Then, the members of eleven healthcare teams in Ireland and The Netherlands (n = 135) took part in the pilot test of the adapted composite measure.

resultsThe final composite measure has two parts: a team meeting observation measure and an adapted survey. The observation measure has 31 observable behaviours fitting seven categories: voice, defensive voice, silence behaviours, supportive, unsupportive, learning or improvement-oriented and familiarity type behaviours. The survey part consists of 19 items in three sub-dimensions related to; the team leader, other team members and the team as a whole. Three additional items capture the perceived representativeness of the observed team meeting compared to other similar meetings. Final adaptations were made in order to integrate the observation and survey measure.

conclusionsThe resulting composite measure combines the strengths of observational and survey measures and is tailored for use in healthcare teams. It is uniquely co-developed with healthcare professionals and grounded in the psychological safety and healthcare literature. This composite measure can enable longitudinal research on psychological safety and inform future research to develop and test interventions to improve psychological safety.

Indexed as

Health PersonnelPatient Care TeamHumansIrelandNetherlandsSurveys and QuestionnairesHealthcare teamsMeasurementObservationPsychological safetySurvey

Identifiers

PMID32727374
PMCPMC7387873

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.