Context: Patient training programs have a significant impact on the severity of medical errors, reporting, and communication but the actual impact is yet to be established. There is an increasing need for medical facilities to track incidents and errors as part of their continuous quality improvement. Each member of a healthcare team must have the necessary skills and knowledge when it comes to patient safety as this is critical in avoiding preventable medical errors.

Aim: The main aim of this abstract was to examine the effects of a continuing patient safety program on reducing malpractice rates and medical errors among registered nursing staff in public hospitals in Australia. The major objective for this study was to carry out a systemic literature search on the topic of study and at the same time synthesise, compare, and contrast research findings from different sources with information related to the subject of study.

Methods: This abstract focused on collecting qualitative evidence from qualitative studies on the effects of a continuing patient safety program on reducing malpractice rates and medical errors among registered nursing staff in public and private hospitals. The MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Google Scholar and Cochrane Library databases were used to conduct searches for this review. After a thorough search, a total of 6 articles published between 2005 and 2018 were identified as the major studies for review.

Results: Six studies examined the impact of depression and anxiety on the quality of life. Five studies identified from the review have examined the relationships between depression and quality of life. It was established that the prevalence of anxiety and depression was high among hemodialysis patients, and the same was associated with low quality of life.

Conclusion: Generally, this review asserts that patient safety programs play a key role in improving patient safety. However, there is need for more research in order to determine the exact impact of patient safety programs on the reduction of medical errors and malpractice rates in Australia.