Unmet nursing care: From the perspective of surgical nurses

Background and Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate missed nursing care from the perspective of nurses working in surgical wards. Material and Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was completed with 94 nurses working in neurosurgery, urology, thoracic surgery, cardiovascular surgery, general surgery, orthopedics, ear, nose, and throat, plastic surgery wards, postoperative intensive care, cardiovascular intensive care, and surgical intensive care units of Trakya University Hospital, who volunteered to participate in the research. Data for the study were collected using the 'Nurse Demographic Information Form' and the 'MISSCARE Survey-Turkish' Results: In the study, the mean score for Part 1 of the 'MISSCARE Survey-Turkish Form' was 1.11±0.46. The total mean score for Part 2 of the 'MISSCARE Survey-Turkish Form' was 3.13±0.69; the mean score for the "labor resources" sub-dimension was 3.72±0.46; the mean score for the "material resources" sub-dimension was 1.73±0.55; and the mean score for the "communication/teamwork" sub-dimension was 1.06±0.30. It was found that the most frequent nursing care need was "patient bathing/skin care," and the most significant barrier to missed nursing care was "insufficient number of personnel." Conclusion: It was determined that the nurses participating in the study rarely failed to meet patients' care needs, and that labor and material resources, which were identified as reasons for missed care needs in the study, were above average. To meet patients' care needs, the number and qualifications of personnel, and the sufficiency of materials and equipment should be reviewed.