Volume 28, Issue 8 pp. 2136-2145
SPECIAL ISSUE PAPER

Are data on missed nursing care useful for nursing leaders? The RN4CAST@IT cross-sectional study

Annamaria Bagnasco MNS, MEdSc, RN, PhD

Annamaria Bagnasco MNS, MEdSc, RN, PhD

Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy

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Gianluca Catania MNS, RN, PhD

Corresponding Author

Gianluca Catania MNS, RN, PhD

Assistant Professor

Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy

Correspondence

Gianluca Catania, Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova, Via A. Pastore 1, 16132 Genova, Italy.

Email: [email protected]

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Milko Zanini MNS, MSoc, RN, PhD

Milko Zanini MNS, MSoc, RN, PhD

Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy

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Nicoletta Dasso MNS, RN, PhD candidate

Nicoletta Dasso MNS, RN, PhD candidate

Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy

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Silvia Rossi MNS, RN, PhD candidate

Silvia Rossi MNS, RN, PhD candidate

Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy

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Giuseppe Aleo MA, PhD

Giuseppe Aleo MA, PhD

Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy

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Fiona Timmins MSc, RGN, PhD

Fiona Timmins MSc, RGN, PhD

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

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Walter Sermeus RN, PhD

Walter Sermeus RN, PhD

Department of Public Health & Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

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FAAN, FRCN Linda H. Aiken PhD

FAAN, FRCN Linda H. Aiken PhD

Professor of Nursing

Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

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FAAN, FFNMRCSI Loredana Sasso RN, MSN, MEdSc

FAAN, FFNMRCSI Loredana Sasso RN, MSN, MEdSc

Full Professor

Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Genova, Genoa, Italy

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First published: 02 September 2020
Citations: 16

Funding information

This study was funded by the Ligurian Regional Government, NurSind and Associazione Nazionale Infermieri Medicina Ospedaliera (ANÌMO).

Abstract

Aim

To describe nurses' reported missed nursing care activities among hospitalized adult patients medical and surgical wards and explore gaps in service provision.

Background

In 2015, Italy replicated the RN4CAST study, which heralded the exposition of missed care as an international phenomenon. In Italy, nurse–patient workload is high, with high levels of burnout and dissatisfaction reported, all factors associated with missed care.

Methods

A cross-sectional study (n = 3,590) was conducted using the 13-item online Task Left Undone Tool aimed at collecting data on missed nursing care.

Results

The frequency of omission of activities ranged between 7% and 50%. There were significant differences between morning, afternoon and night shifts and the various clinical settings. Oral care was the most frequently missed care activity.

Conclusions

This study takes step forward in identifying and reducing missed care on medical and surgical wards, both in Italy and also internationally, which needs to take into account the specific organisational characteristics of each setting.

Implications for Nursing Management

Although more essential activities are missed less frequently, much is known about the relational deficits such as information giving, education, communication and discharge advice, which managers ought to spearhead through local initiatives to improve these practices.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

There is no conflict of interest.

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