Suicidal patients’ experiences regarding their safety during psychiatric in-patient care: a systematic review of qualitative studies

Our review addresses the importance of adopting a wider perspective of patient safety than considering safety solely in technical and physical terms. Safety for the suicidal patient is highly dependent on patients' perceptions of their psychological safety and the fulfilment of their needs. The three patient-identified factors mentioned above - connection, protection and control - should be considered an integral part of patient safety practices and should form the basis of future efforts to understand the safety of suicidal patients during psychiatric in-patient care.