Variations in Missed Care Across Oncology Nursing Specialty Units.

BACKGROUND: An opportunity was identified to compare perceptions of the occurrence and types of missed care at a comprehensive cancer center.

PURPOSE: The purpose was to evaluate the difference in perceived occurrence and types of missed care between medical, surgical, and hematologic oncology units in the context of a newly implemented patient care delivery system, Primary Team Nursing (PTN).

METHODS: A descriptive, repeated-measures design was used. The MISSCARE survey was distributed electronically to 580 staff members across 6 inpatient units.

RESULTS: Frequently perceived elements of missed nursing care were ambulation, turning every 2 hours, and care conference attendance. At the time of study implementation, surgical units reported 0.24 higher scores than medical units (P = .017); hematology units reported 0.26 lower scores than surgical units (P = .005). PTN status did not affect MISSCARE scores (P = .525).

CONCLUSIONS: Study findings suggest that perceived missed care in a comprehensive cancer center is similar to that in other hospital settings.