Psychological Safety in Pediatrics: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Pediatrics in general and pediatric oncology in particular place the high demands on interprofessional teams. For teamwork, psychological safety is a basic prerequisite. Establishing it in pediatrics and their subspecialties requires extensive knowledge. While much is known about psychological safety in other industries, descriptions of psychological safety in pediatrics are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review was to (i) describe the current state of the literature, (ii) identify facilitating and hindering factors in individual areas, and (iii) highlight approaches in terms of best practice examples. In the period between March 25, 2024, and April 14, 2024, PubMed was searched in accordance with the PRISMA Guidelines Scoping Review Extension. The initial search retrieved 924 articles. Twenty-seven papers were included for final analysis. The main reasons for exclusion were a lack of thematic relevance, non-availability of a full text and languages other than English and German. Factors influencing psychological safety in interprofessional teams are discussed. In particular, the influences of communication, the working environment, and employees’ mental health are explained. In view of the of the increasing shortage of skilled workers, team turnover, and intention to leave, psychological safety in pediatrics should be addressed. Future studies should elucidate which interventions have a persistent positive influence on psychological safety in pediatrics.

Zusammenfassung

Die Pädiatrie im Allgemeinen und die pädiatrische Onkologie im Besonderen stellen höchste Anforderungen an interprofessionelle Teams. Die psychologische Sicherheit ist für die Teamarbeit eine Grundvoraussetzung. Sie in der Pädiatrie und ihren Subspezialitäten zu etablieren, erfordert umfangreiches Wissen. Während in anderen Branchen viel über psychologische Sicherheit bekannt ist, sind Beschreibungen zur psychologischen Sicherheit in der Pädiatrie limitiert. Ziel dieser Übersichtsarbeit war es daher, (i) den aktuellen Stand der Literatur zu beschreiben, (ii) förderliche und hinderliche Faktoren in einzelnen Bereichen zu identifizieren und (iii) Ansätze in Form von Best-Practice-Beispielen aufzuzeigen. Im Zeitraum vom 25. März 2024 bis zum 14. April 2024 wurde PubMed gemäß den PRISMA Guidelines Scoping Review Extension systematisch durchsucht. Bei der ersten Suche wurden 924 Artikel gefunden. 27 Arbeiten wurden anhand der Einschlusskriterien für die endgültige Analyse berücksichtigt. Die Hauptgründe für den Ausschluss waren mangelnde thematische Relevanz, Nichtverfügbarkeit eines Volltextes und andere Sprachen als Englisch und Deutsch. Es werden Faktoren erörtert, die die psychologische Sicherheit in interprofessionellen Teams beeinflussen: Insbesondere werden die Einflüsse der Kommunikation, des Arbeitsumfelds und der psychischen Gesundheit der Mitarbeiter erläutert. Angesichts des zunehmenden Fachkräftemangels, der Fluktuation in interprofessionellen Teams und der Patientensicherheit sollte die psychologische Sicherheit im interprofessionellen Team vermehrt Beachtung erhalten. Zukünftige Studien sollten beleuchten, welche Interventionen einen anhaltenden positiven Einfluss auf die psychologische Sicherheit in der Pädiatrie haben.

Schlüsselwörter

Psychologische Sicherheit - Pädiatrie - Pädiatrische Onkologie - Interprofessionelle Teamarbeit - Burnout - Fachkräftemangel

Keywords

Psychological safety - pediatrics - pediatric oncology - interprofessional teamwork - burnout - skills shortage - mental health

Publication History

Received: 16 June 2025

Accepted after revision: 29 October 2025

Article published online:
28 November 2025

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