Cancer Care Unit Missed Care and Related Factors: View of Nurses of Southeast Iran

Introduction: A key element affecting care quality is missed or unfinished care, especially in oncology departments. This study aimed to evaluate missed care and related factors in oncology wards of southeast Iran. Methods: : This study was conducted in five cities located in southeastern Iran. Ninety-three (93) health care providers of oncology departments participated in this study. Missed nursing care and related factors questionnaires were used for data collection. SPSS 22 was utilized to perform descriptive and inferential statistics. The significance level was set at p<0.05. Results: : Study results revealed that the highest missed nursing care was “Participation in interdisciplinary patient care conferences” (2.82 ± 1.08), and “Supervision of food preparation for the patient who can eat on his own” (2.67 ± 1.30). The highest reason of missed care was an “Unexpected increase in the number of patients or crowded wards” (3.78 ± 0.69) and “High volume of activities related to patient admission and discharge” (3.73 ± 0.58). Study findings also showed a significant relationship between missed nursing care and city. Conclusion: According to the study results, allocating sufficient nursing staff to oncology wards can provide sufficient time for caregivers, resulting in decreased missed care which has been documented to contribute to increased quality of care, and improved patient safety.