Introduction Missed nursing care occurs globally and the consequences are severe for the patients. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and cause of missed nursing care, and the relationship between registered nurses' and nursing assistants' perceptions of missed nursing care, in a surgical care context. Method A quantitative study was performed using the MISSCARE survey, measuring missed nursing care and associated reasons, in three surgical wards with registered nurses and nursing assistants as the participants (n=118). The MISSCARE survey also covers background data such as job satisfaction and intention to leave. The response rate was 88%. Result Nursing care rated to be missed the most were ‘attending interdisciplinary care conferences’, ‘turning patient every 2 h’, ‘ambulation 3 times per day or as ordered’, and ‘mouth care’. Registered nurses rated more missed nursing care than nursing assistants. The uppermost reasons for missed nursing care were ‘inadequate number of staff’ and ‘unexpected rise in patient volume and/or acuity on the unit’. Almost every fourth staff member (24.6%, n=29) had the intention to leave within a year in the present department. Discussion Missed nursing care, in combination with a high number of staff intending to leave their employment, poses a hazard to patient safety. Registered nurses reported more missed care compared with the nursing assistants. These findings support a warranted investment in nursing within the organisation. The results can be used to form strategies to reduce nurse attrition and optimise competence utilisation, and to achieve safe person-centered fundamental care.
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Edfeldt et al. (2024) studied this question.
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