Effect of Digital Safety Huddles on Patient Safety Culture in Hospital Settings: A Systematic Review

Patient safety culture is a fundamental component of healthcare quality and plays an important role in preventing adverse events and improving clinical outcomes. Safety huddles have been widely implemented to enhance communication, teamwork, and early risk identification among healthcare professionals. With the increasing adoption of digital technologies in healthcare, digital safety huddles have emerged as a promising approach to support real-time information sharing and multidisciplinary collaboration. However, evidence regarding their contribution to patient safety culture remains limited. This study aimed to identify, evaluate, and synthesize evidence on the effect of digital safety huddle implementation on patient safety culture in hospital settings. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. Literature searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2021 and 2026. A total of 309 articles were identified, and after screening and eligibility assessment, 20 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the narrative synthesis. The reviewed studies demonstrated that safety huddle interventions, particularly those supported by digital technology, positively influenced several dimensions of patient safety culture, including safety climate, interprofessional collaboration, open communication, organisational learning, and reduction of adverse events. Effective implementation was associated with leadership support, consistency of practice, multidisciplinary participation, and adaptation to local organizational contexts. Digital safety huddles have the potential to strengthen patient safety culture in hospitals by improving communication, teamwork, and organizational learning. Nevertheless, further randomized controlled trials comparing digital and conventional safety huddles are required to provide stronger evidence regarding their long-term effectiveness and impact on patient outcomes.