Prevalence and reasons for missed nursing care in adult intensive care units

To explore missed nursing care activities and possible reasons in adult intensive care units in mainland China. A descriptive study. ICU nurses were recruited by convenience sampling between August 2023 and October 2023. They were asked to complete the missed intensive nursing care scale (MINCS) consisted in three parts (Basic information of participants, missed care elements in ICU and reasons for missing). Data analysis was conducted through descriptive, univariate and multivariate analyses. We followed the RANCARE guideline and STROBE checklist when reporting this study. A total of 550 registered nurses participated in this study. The total scores for missed nursing care items in ICU ranged from 38 to 167 points, with an average item score of (1.79 ± 0.72). Nursing activities related to satisfy patients' physiological and emotional needs were most frequently missed. The scores for the causes of such omissions ranged from 23 to 92 points, with an average item score of (2.44 ± 0.81). Nurse professional burnout, inadequate human resource allocation, and insufficient competence were the most commonly reported reasons by ICU nurses. Moreover, nurses' gender and job title were found to be associated with MNC in the ICU (p < 0.001).