6) Hernan et al. (2014) AUSTRALIA	To explore patients’ and carers’ perceptions of safety in rural general practice	n = 26 patients and carers	Qualitative approach, focus group interview	Narrative analysis	Limitations are addressed
7) Hrisos & Thomson (2013) UK	To explore from the perspectives of both patients and frontline healthcare staff, the potential consequences of a patient-mediated intervention as a way of improving safety through improvement through the involvement of patients from the perspectives of both patients and frontline healthcare staff.	n = 16, patients n = 4, relatives	Qualitative study, semi-structured interviews	NVIVO 8.	The findings cannot be generalized
8) Bishop & Macdonald (2014) UK	To describe patient involvement in patient safety practices	n = 10	Qualitative approach, focus group interview	Thematic analysis	The findings cannot be generalized
9) Martin et al. (2012) DENMARK	To investigate existing practices for patient involvement in patient safety, as well as opportunities for and barriers to further involvement	n = 25	Ethnographic methodology. Qualitative study	Nvivo for thematic coding	The departments involved received a short report or presentation with their own results and commented on them to refine the material and enhance validity
10) Ocloo (2010) UK	To investigate the occurrence of medical harm and the construction of patient safety reforms in order to increase awareness of alternative narratives about issues of power and accountability	n = 21 14 groups	Qualitative study	Narrative analysis	Not reported.
11) Porter & Lasiter (2008) COLUMBIA	To describe the attitudes of older housebound women related to the risk of intrusion	n = 32 participants	Descriptive phenomenological method	Descriptive analysis	Illustrative examples are included
12) Pinto et al. (2013) UK	To explore patients’ attitudes towards the PINK video, a patient education video aimed at encouraging hospital patients’ involvement in safety-relevant behaviours	n = 36, 20 - 79 years, 18 females 18 males	Qualitative semi-structured interviews. Field notes	Content analysis	In order to access the generalizability of the findings further research on attitudes towards the video is needed in different settings with a variety of patient groups
13) Rise et al. (2014) NORWAY	To explore how mental health service users perceive the relationship between safe care on the one hand and increased influence and decision-making on the other	n = 15 patients	Qualitative study	Not reported	Not reported
14) Schwappach & Wernli (2010) SWITZERLAND	To assess chemotherapy patients’ perceptions of safety and their attitudes towards participation in error-prevention strategies	n = 30 patients	Qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews	Content analysis	Small sample size. Restricted generalizability. The authors chose this group of patients to minimize hypothetical bias that might explain observed differences between patients’ attitudes towards involvement in error-prevention strategies and their actual behaviour
15) Vaismoradi et al. (2011)	To explore patients’ understandings and feelings of safety during hospitalization	n = 19 patients	Qualitative	Thematic analysis	Peer checking was performed to strengthen the credibility of the data analysis. Dependability was achieved by an audit trail from the start of the data collection until the formulation of the themes.