Missed nursing education: Findings from a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education Research
• Qualitative Health Research

Background:

• Nursing education encompasses essential activities vital for developing competent healthcare professionals.
• Previous research on missed nursing care has primarily focused on clinical practice, overlooking educational settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify missed nursing education activities within nursing programs.
• To explore the factors that lead to these omissions (antecedents) and their resulting effects (consequences).

Main Methods:

• A descriptive qualitative study was conducted using thematic analysis.
• Data were collected through focus groups and interviews with 32 participants from diverse roles and settings.
• The study adhered to the Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative research (COREQ) guidelines.

Main Results:

• Missed Nursing Education encompasses direct activities like clinical rotations and classroom teaching, and indirect ones such as faculty professional development.
• Antecedents include organizational, faculty, and student-level factors.
• Consequences impact students, faculty, clinical nurses, and ultimately, patients.

Conclusions:

• Missed Nursing Education is a complex issue with multiple causes and widespread effects.
• Omissions in educational care delivery can compromise the quality of nursing education and patient care.
• Strategies to address modifiable antecedents require policy, healthcare, and academic institutional involvement.