Speaking-up for patient safety: A scoping narrative review of international literature and lessons for radiography in Ghana and other resource-constrained settings

Tetteh, I.K., Jones, Aled ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2921-8236, Kelly, D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1847-0655 and Courtier, N. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6098-5882 2022. Speaking-up for patient safety: A scoping narrative review of international literature and lessons for radiography in Ghana and other resource-constrained settings. Radiography 28 (4) , pp. 919-925. 10.1016/j.radi.2022.06.018

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Abstract

Objectives Employees ‘speaking-up’, or raising concerns about unsafe practices, has gained traction across healthcare, however, the topic has not been widely discussed within radiography generally or within resource-constrained healthcare settings. A systematic scoping narrative review identified the experiences of radiographers in speaking-up about safety concerns, which was extended to healthcare professionals more broadly. The scope of the review was further extended to cover speaking-up in non-healthcare resource-constrained settings in Africa. Key findings Sixty-three studies were included in the review. The majority originated from westernised and/or higher resource health systems, with a dearth of literature from Africa and other resource-constrained settings. Several studies identified barriers and enablers confronting healthcare workers wishing to speak-up. While ‘speaking-up’ as a concept has gained international interest, most studies are, however, focussed on nursing and medical practice contexts, overlooking other healthcare professions, including radiography. The findings are synthesised into a series of key lessons for healthcare and radiography practitioners in Ghana and other resource-constrained settings. Conclusion The topic has been largely overlooked by policy makers, both within healthcare generally and specifically within radiography in Ghana. This is particularly concerning given the many complexities and risks inherent to radiography. A radiography and a healthcare workforce lacking in voice is poorly positioned to improve workers' safety and patient safety. More generally, promoting speaking up could enhance Ghana's ambitions to deliver a high-quality health care system and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the future. Implications for practice National and regional policy makers need to implement speaking-up processes and procedures reflecting the lessons of the literature review, such as ensuring no detriment as result of speaking-up and making staff feel that their concerns are not futile. Speaking-up processes should be implemented by individual organisations, alongside staff training and monitoring.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Healthcare Sciences
Additional Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the CC-BY Attribution 4.0 International license.
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	1078-8174
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 July 2022
Date of Acceptance:	24 June 2022
Last Modified:	05 Jan 2024 03:38
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/151305

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