Background: Patient safety in the emergency department is a highly debated issue. Long waiting times, overcrowded wards, lack of communication, unsuitable environment and workload are factors associated with patient safety.

Aim: To identify factors associated with patient safety in emergency care as experienced by nurses.

Method: A literature study was conducted comprising nine qualitative articles.

Results: Three themes that affect patient safety were identified: (1) Nurses' experience of the importance of the work environment for patient safety; (2) Nurses' experience of the impact of the organization on patient safety; and (3) Nurses' experience of the impact of communication on patient safety.

Conclusion: This study highlights some of the factors that affect patient safety. These factors were experienced by the majority of the nurses working in the clinical environment.