Objective To systematically review the abroad studies on patients for patient safety, and compare them with the current status of domestic studies, so as to provide suggestions for evidence-based strategic decision about how to conduct the education of patients for patient safety and improve the medical quality. Methods The databases of MEDLINE, EMbase and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) were searched to identify the relevant studies and their references. Literatures were screened with data extraction in accordance with the predefined inclusive and exclusive criteria. The quality of literatures was assessed with the standard of Cochrane Handbook 5.0 and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme, and the data were comprehensively analyzed with qualitative research methods.Results Among 28 included studies, 5 were Chinese literatures, 1 was RCT, and the others were cross-sectional studies. The results showed that: a) Generally, the patients at home and abroad were poor in the awareness of patient safety, but they were eager to participate in the patient safety; b) Factors affecting patients’ participation were their characteristics, disease-related, and emotional feelings; c) Three studies reported the methods of involving patients in patient safety from the aspects of infection, malpractice, and medication; d) Some studies showed that patients’ participation could effectively promote the standardized operation of medical staffs, prevent unsafe events, and reduce damages; and e) The research contents of the included Chinese literatures were just related to the patients’ awareness of patient safety, attitude to participation, and influencing factors. Conclusion The limited studies relevant to patients for patient safety are short of high-quality RCTs for proving the effectiveness of patient participation methods, so it indicates that the stress should be laid on evaluating the effectiveness of patients for patient safety in future research.