The aim of this study was to determine the extent and type of missed nursing care as reported by patients and the association with patient-reported adverse outcomes. A total of 729 inpatients on 20 units in 2 acute care hospitals were surveyed. The MISSCARE Survey-Patient was used to collect patient reports of missed care. Patients reported more missed nursing care in the domain of basic care (2.29 ± 1.06) than in communication (1.69 ± 0.71) and in time to respond (1.52 ± 0.64). The 5 most frequently reported elements of missed nursing care were the following: (a) mouth care (50.3%), (b) ambulation (41.3%), (c) getting out of bed into a chair (38.8%), (d) providing information about tests/procedures (27%), and (e) bathing (26.4%). Patients who reported skin breakdown/pressure ulcers, medication errors, new infections, IVs running dry, IVs infiltrating, and other problems during the current hospitalization reported significantly more overall missed nursing care.
Keywords: acute care; errors of omission; missed care; nursing; quality.
© 2013 by the American College of Medical Quality.