A bibliometric analysis of missed nursing care research: Current themes and way forward

Background. Missed nursing care adversely affects nurse and patient outcomes in healthcare settings. Comprehensive bibliometric overview of research output in this field is limited, which restricts knowledge of this complex phenomenon in terms of research trends, author’s productivity, and thematic focus of scientific publications. This study aims to examine publications on missed nursing care by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis. Methods. A search was performed in the Scopus database to identify 276 published studies on missed nursing care from inception to 20th February 2022. A bibliometric approach was used to comprehensively analyse retrieved publications based on trend, thematic focus, and scientific production. The R based software was used for data analysis. Results. The result from this bibliometric analysis indicates that the first study performed on the concept of missed nursing care was published in 2006. The United States of America (USA) ranked first in number of publications, and the study by Ball et al. published in 2014 was the most cited paper among the documents analysed. The results also identified names of prolific authors such as Kalisch B.J., Ausserhofer D., Willis E., Papastavrou E., Schubert M., Palese A., Simon M., and Aiken L. H. and relevant institutions in this field. Trending keywords identified included “missed nursing care,” “unfinished nursing care,” “patient safety,” and “care left undone.” In addition, thematic analysis showed emerging themes such as “neonatal intensive care unit,” “patient satisfaction,” “health resources,” “failure to maintain,” and “adverse events.” Conclusion. Findings from this study reveal a lack of bibliometric analysis in missed nursing care research. This study provides significant contribution by presenting a comprehensive overview on thematic focus, hotspots studies, and directions for future research in this field. Findings from this study can guide scholars in defining research focus and aspects of research on missed nursing care for future exploration

Nurses’ perception of missed nursing care in a Western Australian teaching hospital: A cross-sectional study

Background Missed nursing care (MNC) has gained increasing emphasis in nursing literature because of its association with nurse and patient outcomes in healthcare settings. While missed care has been widely studied, little evidence is available on the types and frequency of missed care, reasons for its occurrence, and predictors of missed care in Western Australia. Aims To determine nurses’ perceptions of the types of MNC, reasons for missed care and to identify factors predicting missed care occurrence in Western Australian acute care settings. Methods A cross-sectional study in medical and surgical wards was performed. The nurse MISSCARE survey tool was used to capture self-reported types and reasons for missed care and level of nurse job satisfaction from a sample of 204 nurses working in 16 acute care wards. Data analyses were carried out in International Business Machines Corperation located in Armonk, New York United States (IBM SPSS Statistics) (v 29). Findings The most common perceived missed activities included ambulation (87%), patient teaching (79%), interdisciplinary conference attendance (78%), mouth care (78%), intake and output (77%), and patient turning (75%). Labour resources ranked highest for reasons for missed care followed by material resources and communication. Significant relationships were observed between missed care and job satisfaction, role satisfaction, and teamwork. Discussion Working overtime, job dissatisfaction, inadequate staffing, and heavy admissions and discharges were related to increased likelihood for missed care occurrence. Conclusion Although further studies examining the link between MNC and staffing methodologies are needed, this study provides evidence on nurse-reported missed care and the impact of missed care in Western Australia

Exploring the prevalence and impact of missed nursing care on nurse–patient outcomes in Western Australia: A descriptive correlational study

Introduction: The prevalence and impact of missed nursing care can have serious consequences on both nurses and patients in healthcare settings. There is limited published research exploring nurse–patient reported missed care and how this factor is related to job satisfaction of nurses and adverse events. It is, therefore, essential that the prevalence and impact of missed nursing care on both nurses and patients is well explored and understood. Aim: The primary aim of this thesis is to provide evidence of nurse and patient perceptions of missed nursing care and the effect of missed care on nurse–patient outcomes (such as job satisfaction, intention to leave, teamwork, falls, medication errors, pressure ulcers and hospital acquired infections) in a Western Australian context. The objectives to support the primary aim of this study are fourfold: (1) To shed light on research trends and emerging areas in this field using a bibliometric analysis of scientific data on missed nursing care; (2) To describe the prevalence of missed nursing care and nurse–patient outcomes reported by earlier studies using a systematic literature review and meta-analysis; (3) To measure the prevalence, predictors and nurse-related outcomes of missed nursing care reported by nurses; and (4) To measure the prevalence, correlates and patient-related outcomes of missed nursing care reported by hospitalised patients. Methods: This study was conducted in medical and surgical units of a tertiary teaching hospital in Western Australia. Guided by quantitative methods, a descriptive correlational study design was employed and the sample for this study consisted of nursing staff and patients in 16 medical and surgical units of the hospital. To achieve the study aims, this thesis has been separated into three phases. Firstly, a bibliometric analysis of missed nursing care research was performed in medical and nursing databases, in order to rigorously summarise published research trends in this domain. Secondly, a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and outcomes of nurse–patient reported missed nursing care in acute care settings was conducted. Lastly, the final phase involved a quantitative methodological approach, in which a descriptive correlational design was used to measure the prevalence, predictors and nurse–patient related outcomes of missed care. Data were measured and described using descriptive, correlational, and logistic regression analysis. Results: The bibliometric analysis and systematic review revealed a paucity of knowledge regarding nurse–patient-reported missed care and related outcomes following hospitalisation. The most frequently missed nursing activities reported by nurses and patients included ambulation (nurses = 87%; patients = 35%), mouth care (nurses = 78%; patients = 63%) and patient teaching about test and procedures (nurses = 79%; patients = 29%). Regression analysis reveals that missed nursing care is linked to nurse-reported job satisfaction, working overtime and patient-reported age. Conclusion: This study provides evidence of nurse–patient-reported missed nursing care in Western Australia. Most importantly, this study has shown that, some substantial amount of nursing care is missed and that these elements of missed care negatively impact nurse and patient outcomes. This thesis provides baseline evidence and challenges the appropriateness of developing target goals to reduce and prevent missed care occurrences