Nurses' perceptions of reasons for missed nursing care in hospitals: a qualitative systematic review protocol

The objective of this review is to identify and synthesize the best available evidence on nurses' perceptions of the reasons for missed nursing care in hospitals.

Missed nursing care in hospitals is a complex and global problem affecting patients, nurses, and the health care system. An in-depth understanding of reasons for missed nursing care is essential to prevent it from happening in hospitals. Nurses' perceptions of reasons for missed nursing care in hospitals are related to the care environment, such as staff levels, nurses' workload, levels of experience and competencies, incomplete communication, and poor teamwork. The reasons are multifaceted, and there is a need to synthesize qualitative evidence on nurses' perceptions of the reasons for missed nursing care in hospitals.

The phenomenon of interest is nurses' perceptions of reasons for missed nursing care, which is defined as care that is either delayed or partially or entirely missed. Studies of nurses with any level of experience, training, or education will be eligible for inclusion. This systematic review will consider qualitative studies that include the perceptions of nurses working in hospital settings, either inpatient or outpatient settings.

Following an initial search in PubMed, a full search strategy will be conducted in CINAHL (EBSCOhost), PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar, and GreyNet International. The JBI approach will inform study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and meta-aggregation. Confidence in the findings will be assessed in accordance with the ConQual approach.

PROSPERO CRD42023438198.