Patient experiences of safety in care transitions

High-quality care is defined as having three different but equal components: clinical effectiveness, patient safety and patient experience. However, this definition is proving to be challenging to put into practice, especially in placing equal emphasis on patient experience. In this chapter, Scott identifies the role of patients in making their care safer. Whilst the majority of literature focuses upon care within single care, there is far less evidence for patients to be involved in their own safety when transitioning between care services. The chapter concludes with the fact that patients are best placed to view their entire episode of care when crossing organisational boundaries.