MISSED NURSING CARE IN THE CRITICAL

CARE UNIT, BEFORE AND DURING THE

COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A COMPARATIVE
CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background
Over the past few years, this research has focused on nursing care
that is skipped by (MNCs) as part of the patient safety movement), where
MNCs are defined as aspects of nursing care that are required but,
omitted (in part or in whole) or delayed. Research shows that the
consequences of MNC have an impact on patients (lower perception of
quality of care, increased incidence of urinary tract infections, health
stress, nosocomial infections, increased mortality) and for nurses impact
(decreased job satisfaction, fatigue, and increased intention to leave).
The literature describes several factors that contribute to MNC
variation, including the nurse/patient ratio and nursing skills. Results
showed that fewer MNCs were found in critical care units (nurse/patient
ratio 1:1–1:2) compared to rehabilitation units (nurse/patient ratio 1:5–
1:8).
Furthermore, higher levels of education (i.e. bachelor's degrees
among nurses have been shown to treat fewer health injuries for surgical
patients and reduce mortality in critical care patients) Therefore,
registered nurses may have a more comprehensive understanding of
description of the patient's situation and needs. Internationally, in
Sweden, there is a shortage of registered nurses and specialized nurses
across the health care system, including critical care units, according to a
report (International Council of Nurses, 2020; Swedish National Health
and Welfare Council, 2018; WHO, 2021).

Objective
To describe and evaluate reported missed nursing care in the critical care
context during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden

Method
 This study uses a comparative approach, by comparing findings from
data collection during the two COVID-19 pandemic periods with
reference samples from the same hospital and university providing level
I critical care before the Covid-19 outbreak.
a. Advantage
Comparative research can improve techniques, statistical methods,
and design with partial control of features, in recent years, so this
study is maintained.

b. Disadvantage
Difficulty because there is no single factor that causes an outcome,
but is a combination and interaction of various related factors.

Result
The results showed no difference in general background
characteristics such as age, gender, academic degree, number of hours
worked and role experience among the participants. However,
significant differences between the samples were found in the number of
patients treated, overtime hours and the number of days absent from
work due to illness.

Conclusion
The pandemic has had a major impact on the critical care
workforce with the provision of more overtime hours and the number of
days off work due to illness. An increase in the nurse/patient ratio
reveals an increase in workload. To measure MNC as an indicator of
nursing quality can be one of the a way to improve the ability of health
care managers to meet the needs of patients with different approaches in
critical care settings. To reduce missed nursing care, health care
managers seek to improve patient outcomes which can improve nursing
outcomes such as reducing fatigue, intention to leave and limiting nurse
turnover.

Reference
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/
S0964339722000799