Prevalence and Predictors of Missed Nursing Care in Greek Public Hospitals: A National Cross-Sectional Study

To describe the prevalence of Missed Nursing Care and its predictors in Greek public hospitals.

Missed Nursing Care is defined as any aspect of required patient care that is omitted or delayed. Despite the available studies, little is still known in countries with significant nursing shortages, such as Greece, where 2.23 registered and assistant nurses per 1000 population have been reported, significantly below the EU-27 average.

A national cross-sectional study was conducted in 28 of 124 public hospitals in Greece. Nurses and nursing assistants working in medical or surgical units, providing direct care to adult patients, and with at least 3 months of experience were eligible. The MISSCARE Survey Part A (5-point Likert scale; 1 = never, 5 = always missed), Part B (reasons, four-point Likert scale; 1 = not significant, 4 = significant reason) and the Practice Environment Scale of the Nurse Work Index (4-point Likert scale; 1 = totally agree, 4 = totally disagree) were used. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied.

A total of 676 nurses participated. The Missed Nursing Care Part A total score was 2.06 (±0.65), with patients' daily activities (mean = 2.32 ± 0.73) receiving higher scores than activities related to health status and treatments (mean = 1.80 ± 0.63). The overall score on the Practice Environment Scale of the Nurse Work Index was 2.53 (±0.49). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that issues in nursing care standards for quality of care, staffing adequacy and communication within the team were the most significant predictors of Missed Nursing Care.

Missed Nursing Care is a major problem in Greek hospitals. Inadequate staffing is a key factor in missed care according to nurses' perceptions. Increasing nursing staff, along with implementing standards for nursing care and improving communication among team members, will enhance the quality of health services in Greece.

Strengthening staffing levels and reinforcing nursing standards are essential strategies for reducing Missed Care in Greek public hospitals.