Unfinished nursing care as indicator of adverse events in hospitalized patients

Introduction: The collective term 'unfinished care' refers to the factor of impact on the safety of health care. Nurses prioritise certain activities, leaving others unfinished. The risk of patient harm increases. Goal: Identify the relationships between unfinished nursing actions and adverse events. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: The research sample was formed by 251 nurses from the clinics of the University Hospital in Prague. The PIRNCA self-assessment instrument was used. Data collection and processing took place in 2022. Results: Significant differences were found in all areas of assistance in terms of the incidence of adverse events. Significant differences existed for walking (p = 0.005), mobilisation and positioning (p = 0.003), and defecation (p = 0.001). Decubitus (63.3%) and falls (53.4%) were the most frequent outcomes. Conclusion: Unfinished care increases the occurrence of adverse events in hospitalized patients. These findings are consistent with the results of studies conducted to date. Effective interventions are found in the area of resource management and increasing the relevant professional awareness of general nurses.