Published on
May 7, 2026

Changing minds, saving lives: how training psychological safety transforms healthcare

This article is the result of a collaboration between the teams at Vinmec Healthcare System, SimForAll, and the SafeTeam Academy. It incorporates various simulation methods to foster a culture of safety within the anesthesia department of Vinmec Healthcare System.

Changing Minds, Saving Lives: How Psychological Safety Training Is Transforming Healthcare.

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC


. Psychological safety is essential to teamwork in healthcare, as it fosters open communication, freedom of expression, and learning from mistakes. However, hierarchical structures, cultural norms, and logistical constraints often hinder its implementation, particularly in large and geographically dispersed healthcare systems. Although previous studies have highlighted the importance of psychological safety, effective and large-scale training models remain largely unexplored.

WHAT THIS STUDY CONTRIBUTES


This study presents a structured and scalable training model that combines video-simulated e-learning and full-scale simulation to strengthen psychological safety within a large healthcare network. Over an 18-month period, the intervention led to increased public speaking, improved teamwork, a rise in incident reporting, and better annual safety audit results, demonstrating that it is possible to systematically build psychological safety at scale.

POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THIS STUDY ON RESEARCH, PRACTICE, OR POLICY


. This study provides evidence that structured training can shift organizational culture toward one that prioritizes psychological safety, thereby improving the quality of patient care. The results suggest that healthcare systems worldwide should integrate psychological safety training as a central component of their patient safety strategies, with strong leadership commitment as a key driver of success.

Source: https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/bmjqir/14/2/e003186.full.pdf

photo of the author of the safeteam academy blog article
Frédéric MARTIN
SafeTeam Academy
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