King's College London

Objectives: to analyze data from qualitative studies of patient perceptions of measures to prevent and control healthcare-related infections and factors that contribute to their own safety. Method: systematic review of publications from 2006 to 2016, followed by thematic synthesis by coding patients’ accounts and interpretations of findings given. Results: six themes highlighted barriers to patients’ participating actively in promoting their own safety: insufficient information supply; poor comprehension; negative feelings; negative experiences; behavior of health care personnel; and factors that influence patient involvement. Conclusion: the gap between patients’ understanding infection prevention and control measures and their becoming involved in the process point to a need for measures to foster effective communication, better care personnel-patient relations, and access to information that encourages patients to interact and contribute to health care.