Unveiling missed nursing care: a comprehensive examination of neglected responsibilities and practice environment challenges

BackgroundThe global variable of missed nursing care and practice environment are widely recognized as two crucial contextual factors that significantly impact the quality of nursing care. This study assessed the current status of missed nursing care and the characteristics of the nursing practice environment in Iran. Additionally, this study aimed to explore the relationship between these two variables.MethodsWe conducted an across-sectional study from May 2021 to January 2022 in which we investigated 255 nurses. We utilized the Missed Nursing Care Survey, the Nursing Work Index-Practice Environment Scale, and a demographic questionnaire to gather the necessary information. We used the Shapiro-Wilk test, Pearson correlation coefficient test, and multiple linear regression test in SPSS version 20 for the data analyses.ResultsAccording to the present study, 41% of nurses regularly or often overlooked certain aspects of care, resulting in an average score of 32.34 +/- 7.43 for missed nursing care. It is worth noting that attending patient care conferences, providing patient bathing and skin care, and assisting with toileting needs were all significant factors contributing to the score. The overall practice environment was unfavorable, with a mean score of 2.25 +/- 0.51. Interestingly, 'nursing foundations for quality of care' was identified as the sole predictor of missed nursing care, with a beta value of -0.22 and a p-value of 0.036.ConclusionsThis study identified attending patient care interdisciplinary team meetings and delivering basic care promptly as the most prevalent instances of missed nursing care. Unfortunately, the surveyed hospitals exhibited an undesirable practice environment, which correlated with a higher incidence of missed nursing care. These findings highlight the crucial impact of nurses' practice environment on care delivery. Addressing the challenges in the practice environment is essential for reducing instances of missed care, improving patient outcomes, and enhancing overall healthcare quality.