Examination of the Relationship Between Missed Nursing Care and Job Satisfaction of Pediatric Nurses

Background: Missed nursing care is a multifaceted phenomenon defined as neglecting or delaying any or all necessary patient care. Its impact on patient outcomes and quality of care has been established.

Aim: This study aims to assess the prevalence of missed nursing care in pediatric clinics, identify its causes, and explore its relationship with nurses' job satisfaction.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 185 pediatric nurses in all inpatient clinics of a training and research hospital from June to December 2021. The Personal and Professional Characteristics Form, the Missed Nursing Care Scale (MISSCARE SURVEY - Pediatric Version), and the Minnesota Satisfaction Scale were utilized. Data were collected from 94 nurses via Google Survey and 91 nurses through self-report on a voluntary basis, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Bonferroni and Pearson correlation tests.

Results: It was found that 83.8% of the nurses participating in the study were female, with ages ranging from 22 to 58 years (mean 32.11 ± 7.84). The most frequently missed nursing care tasks were meeting the nutritional needs of the child according to clinical conditions (34.6%) and assisting the child to get up and walk three times a day or as per the nursing care plan if clinical conditions permit (34.6%). The primary reason for missed care was identified as a lack of labor resources. A statistically significant difference was observed in missed care practices, employment unit, working styles, and overall job satisfaction (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: It was found that nurses were unable to provide at least one required nursing care during their last shift, primarily due to issues related to labor resources. Consequently, it was observed that job satisfaction among nurses decreased as incidents of missed care increased. It is recommended that improvements be made in labor resources as a priority to reduce missed care practices. Additionally, the issue should be further explored through new studies, and essential protocols should be developed to prevent missed nursing care.