What question did this study set out to answer?

This review aims to summarize existing knowledge regarding unprofessional behavior among nurses and its impacts on patient care.

April 12, 2026Open Access

Nurses’ unprofessional behavior on patient care—A scoping review

Key Points

This review aims to summarize existing knowledge regarding unprofessional behavior among nurses and its impacts on patient care.
Conducted a scoping review using electronic searches in CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC databases.
Included peer-reviewed empirical studies published in English and applied predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria.
Manually searched reference lists of selected publications and included a total of 40 studies for analysis.
Employed descriptive methods to analyze the data.
Identified terms related to unprofessional behavior including neglect, abuse, and unethical conduct.
Outlined specific unprofessional behaviors such as neglecting tasks, breaching confidentiality, and violating patient integrity.
Noted that these behaviors threaten patient safety and contribute to dissatisfaction.
Found that personal history, lack of competencies, and work environment factors contribute to unprofessional behavior.

Abstract

BackgroundNurses' unprofessional behavior endangers quality of care and patient safety as well as nurses' careers and work communities. Existing knowledge concerning nurses' unprofessional behavior and its effects on patient care should therefore be considered to facilitate early identification and the development of preventive strategies.AimThe aim of this scoping review is to systematically map and summarize existing knowledge about unprofessional behavior among nurses in order to support the development of strategies for its early detection and prevention.MethodA scoping review was performed based on electronic searches of the CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC databases together with manual searches of the reference lists of all publications retrieved in the initial searches. The database searches spanned the period from database creation to October 2024. Only peer-reviewed empirical research papers published in English were considered for inclusion. Publications were selected using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and altogether 40 studies were included. Data was analyzed using descriptive methods.FindingsThe terms used in relation to unprofessional behavior are related to neglect and abuse, unethical behavior, and misbehavior. Types of unprofessional nursing behavior during patient care include neglecting nursing tasks, betraying professional confidence, and violating patient integrity. These behaviors may create risks to patient safety and cause patient dissatisfaction. Reasons for unprofessional behavior included nurses' personal life histories, lack of professional competencies, and factors relating to the work environment and community.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that unprofessional behavior by nurses is an umbrella term, covering various forms of inadequate and unethical behavior. In future, more attention must be paid to nurses' working conditions and ethical skills to protect patients' safety and strengthen the nursing profession.

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Lyytikäinen et al. (Fri,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69db37f94fe01fead37c6103 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330261441782

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