Missed nursing care: a snapshot case study in a medical ward in Australia

Abstract

Background: Missed nursing care is a global issue in acute healthcare settings. It is a complex phenomenon that refers to nursing care that is required by patients but left undone or significantly delayed. Aim: To investigate the nature of missed nursing care and influencing factors in a general medical ward in an acute care hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Method: This is a descriptive case study. The study was carried out in a 29-bed inpatient general medical/cardiology/telemetry ward in an acute care tertiary hospital. Results: The study ward has been identified as a high complexity unit. The survey data found that the most frequent nursing care elements missed, as reported by the patients, were oral care, response to machine beep, and response to call light. The most frequent nurse-reported missed care items were ambulation, monitoring fluid intake/output and attendance at interdisciplinary conferences. Conclusion: Despite mandating nurse-to-patient ratios in the study ward, inadequate staffing was still perceived as being problematic and one of the most frequent reasons leading to missed nursing care. This possible disconnect between mandated staffing ratios and the persistence of perceived missed care suggests a more complex relationship than can be managed by macro (large-scale) resourcing formulas alone.