Undergraduate interprofessional educational interventions targeting patient safety competencies: A scoping review

Undergraduate healthcare students are expected to develop patient safety competencies to reduce preventable harm. This scoping review is intended to map the scope, characteristics, and outcomes of interprofessional patient safety educational interventions for undergraduate students and areas for improvement. Following the JBI scoping review methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, this review included studies involving undergraduate healthcare students from at least 2 professions, focusing on empirically assessed patient safety competencies. A comprehensive search of 5 databases and grey literature, conducted without time restrictions, identified 20 eligible studies spanning 2009-2024. Data were extracted and synthesized narratively, with methodological quality assessed using standardized tools. Interprofessional patient safety education was predominantly delivered through experiential, simulation-based, and team-oriented strategies, targeting communication and teamwork competencies. Storytelling-based learning and peer-led training showed promise in enhancing empathy, leadership, and collaboration. However, critical domains such as error management, safety culture, and human and system factors remained underrepresented. Most studies used quasi-experimental designs with variable methodological quality. While a few studies reported short-term behavior changes (Kirkpatrick Level 3), none evaluated long-term changes at Level 3 or patient outcomes (Kirkpatrick Level 4). Interprofessional education enhances certain foundational patient safety competencies but lacks emphasis on system-level competencies. Future research should prioritize standardized evaluation tools and longitudinal studies. Integrating diverse educational strategies—such as storytelling, peer-led learning, hybrid simulation models combining virtual and in-person learning, and patient partnerships in education—could improve accessibility, engagement, and the development of system-level competencies in patient safety. • Evidence indicates that interprofessional patient safety education can strengthen teamwork and communication among healthcare students, though its long-term impact remains underexplored. • Key patient safety domains, including system-level risk management, error disclosure, human factors, and patient safety culture, remain underrepresented in interprofessional patient safety education, limiting the scope of current educational interventions. • Although still emerging, peer-led training and storytelling foster collaboration and empathy in patient safety education. • Advancing patient safety education requires standardized evaluation tools and adaptation to diverse healthcare settings to ensure broader applicability.