Patient Safety in Nursing Homes From an Ecological Perspective: An Integrated Review

Abstract

Objectives The aims of the study were to identify the systemic factors affecting the characteristics and safety of older adults living in nursing homes and the resulting resident outcomes and to explore the relationship between them through an integrated literature review. Methods A literature search was conducted from April 22 to May 6, 2021, in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, CIHNAL, RISS, NDL, and KoreaMed databases. The following key words and MeSH terms were used for the search: “nursing home,” “skilled nursing facility,” “long-term care facility,” and “patient safety” or “safety.” Results Forty-seven qualifying articles were finally selected. Three domains were derived as personal factors, 12 as facility factors, and one as a policy factor. The interrelationships between them could result in positive or negative resident outcomes. The relationship between them was also reconstructed from an ecological perspective. Conclusions The results demonstrated that the safety and quality of life of older adults living in nursing homes were affected by both individual and institutional factors.