BMC Medical Education is calling for submissions to our Collection, Lifelong learning and patient safety. As healthcare delivery becomes increasingly complex, shaped by biomedical advances, digital transformation, demographic shifts, and changing patient expectations, so does the potential for errors and adverse events. This phenomenon makes it essential to equip all healthcare professionals with training and tools to prioritize patient safety across different clinical environments.

Patient safety is a global health priority, with the World Health Organization identifying unsafe care as one of the leading causes of avoidable morbidity and mortality worldwide. While traditional models of competence, validated at a single point in time through licensure or certification, can be valuable, addressing this challenge requires a workforce that is continuously learning, adaptive, and equipped to respond to evolving patient safety threats. Lifelong learning in healthcare plays a pivotal role in fostering patient safety by making sure that healthcare professionals remain competent and adaptive to the best practices in the medical field. Outdated knowledge or skills in the medical field can directly jeopardize patient outcomes. Therefore, continuous professional development allows clinicians to update their professional competencies, reducing the risk of errors and adverse events.

This Collection invites research that examines how patient safety, which should be a professional expectation and ethical imperative at all stages of one’s career trajectory, can be enhanced through innovation in health professions education and training. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Tools and strategies for integrating patient safety into medical and nursing curricula

• Lifelong learning and continuing professional development (CPD) for patient safety and competence

• Simulation for teamwork, inclusion, and communication in diverse healthcare teams to enhance patient safety

• Interprofessional and collaborative safety culture

• Infection prevention and medication safety practices

• Learning from errors, near-misses, and real-time decision-making in clinical teams

• Strategies and policies for enhancing lifelong learning for patient safety

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 4: Quality Education.

BMC Medical Education welcomes submissions to our Disability in medical education Collection. As disability impacts so much of our patient population, medical curricula must evolve to address gaps in knowledge, attitudes, and clinical care. Incorporating disability-specific education strengthens inclusive education practices, reduces disparities, and prepares clinicians to deliver person-centered care. Innovative tools, assessments, and instructional approaches, from simulation training to standardized patient encounters to Universal Design for Learning, can be leveraged to improve learners’ understanding of access, communication, ethical, other considerations in clinical practice.

We welcome research covering topics including but not limited to:

• Development and integration of disability curriculum within medical education

• Teaching strategies that promote competency in caring for patients with disabilities

• The role of inclusive education and Universal Design for Learning in clinical training

• Evaluation tools and assessment methods for measuring disability-related knowledge and skills

• Use of patient narratives, simulation, and standardized patients with disabilities in clinical teaching

• Interprofessional education initiatives focused on accessibility and patient-centered care

• Addressing barriers within healthcare training environments

By emphasizing innovation and access, this work supports the development of a medical workforce equipped to deliver compassionate, equitable care for all patients.

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.