Abstract
Objective: The objective of this thesis is to investigate the factors contributing to missed nursing care (MNC) by registered nurses in Australian hospitals.Introduction: Nurses are increasingly ending their shifts with outstanding tasks and missing vital aspects of patient care. Research has indicated that this can have a detrimental effect on both patient and nurse outcomes. The connection between inadequate staffing levels and missed nursing care has been well documented in the research. However, other contributing factors leading to missed nursing care remain uncertain. A scoping review has been conducted to identify the factors contributing to missed nursing care in an Australian context.
Inclusion criteria: This review has included studies that explore the contributing factors to missed nursing care by registered nurses in Australian hospitals. Missed nursing care includes; incomplete care, care left undone or unfinished care. Contributing factors include the reasons or causes underpinning missed nursing care.
Methods: MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PubMed were searched for primary and secondary research articles. A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. Data from the studies was extracted by two independent reviewers and presented in tabular form along with a narrative synthesis of the findings.
Findings: The findings of this scoping review align with the international studies into MNC. This review adds an important perspective to the impact of staffing on MNC due to the mandated nurse to patient ratios in Australia, which has not been investigated in other countries.
Date of Award | 5 Nov 2020 |
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Original language | English |
Supervisor | Maree Duddle (Supervisor) |