Missed nursing care in the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran

Background: Quality of care is one of the most critical issues in nursing care today. Moreover, all health care employees are responsible for providing support and high-quality, safe care. However, nurses caring for COVID-19 patients face problems such as unfamiliar work environments, exposure to the disease, lack of experience in their new positions, and close public and media attention. This study aimed to investigate missed nursing care and the reasons for missed nursing care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 135 nurses working in COVID-19 units. Data were collected using the MISSCARE Survey. The significance level for the statistical tests was set at p < 0.05.

Results: Most of the participants were women and had a bachelor's degree in nursing. There was a lack of supportive and necessary care more than any other form of care. According to nurses, the most common reasons for missed care were urgent patient situations, inadequate staff, and an unexpected rise in patient volume and/or patient acuity on the unit.

Conclusion: Generally, the results showed that being positioned in a new situation and unfamiliarity with the disease had a significant impact-among nurses-on the amount of care provided. Managers can use this information to solve existing missed-nursing-care problems and contribute to improving the quality of care. These results can be helpful in controlling missed nursing care and finding a more optimal solution for this problem; thus, we can improve the quality of care delivery and increase the satisfaction of nurses and patients. Additionally, an understanding of the kind of missing nursing care during a pandemic can positively enhance the management of similar situations in the future.