To identify the prevalence and types of missed nursing care in a Danish hospital context from patients' perspectives and to examine associations between missed nursing care, patient demographics, and patient-reported adverse events.
Cross-sectional study.
A total of 284 medical and surgical patients from 21 wards at a Danish university hospital completed the Danish version of the MISSCARE Survey–Patient. Descriptive statistics and analyses of associations between missed nursing care and patient demographics and adverse events were conducted.
Patients reported an overall prevalence of missed nursing care of 15%, with most omissions occurring in the physical care domain (22%), followed by psychosocial care (13%) and timeliness (6%). The most frequently missed activities included oral care, clarity about which nurse was responsible for their care, repositioning in bed, and help with eating. Medication errors were significantly associated with higher missed nursing care scores across all domains, while associations with other adverse events and demographics were inconsistent.
Patients generally perceived a low prevalence of missed nursing care, although notable variations were observed across care domains and specific activities. Incorporating patient perspectives alongside nurse perspectives offers a more complete understanding of missed nursing care.
Continuous assessment of missed nursing care from patients' perspectives could serve as a valuable complement to nurse-reported assessments, helping to identify specific areas for improvement. Targeted interventions addressing activities with higher patient-reported missed nursing care may enhance both care quality and patient outcomes.
STROBE guidelines were followed.
Patients were not involved in the study's design, conduct, or reporting.
This study highlights missed nursing care from patients' perspectives, revealing key care gaps. The findings can inform hospital administrators, nursing leaders, nursing educators, and policymakers in developing strategies to improve care quality and patient satisfaction.
To translate, cross-culturally adapt, validate and psychometrically test the MISSCARE Survey–Patient for assessing patients' perspectives on missed nursing care (MNC) in a Danish hospital setting.
A two-phase cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation study.
The study was conducted in two phases. First, the MISSCARE Survey–Patient was cross-culturally adapted to ensure its relevance in a Danish hospital context. This phase involved translation and back-translation, expert committee reviews and cognitive interviews with 18 inpatients to establish content validity. Second, a convenience sample of 284 patients from surgical and medical departments completed the adapted survey. Psychometric properties were evaluated using structural equation modelling to test a second-order formative model.
The cross-cultural adaptation phase led to minor and substantial revisions, including the addition of six new items to enhance content validity. These items addressed aspects of nursing care relevant to patients in the contemporary hospital setting that were not captured by the original survey. Structural equation modelling confirmed the second-order formative model and demonstrated robust psychometric properties.
The MISSCARE Survey–Patient was successfully adapted and validated for use in Danish hospitals, ensuring strong content validity and psychometric robustness.
The Danish version of the survey provides a valuable tool for assessing MNC from patients' perspectives in hospital settings. Its use can help identify specific areas where nursing care falls short, guiding targeted initiatives to enhance care quality and patient safety. By integrating patients' experiences into quality improvement initiatives, the survey supports the development of more person-centred care practices.
The study adhered to the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments reporting guideline for studies on measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures.
Patients were not involved in the study's design, conduct, or reporting.
The Danish version of the survey facilitates data collection on patients' perspectives of MNC in contemporary hospital settings, providing valuable insights into care quality. By offering a validated tool to assess MNC from patients' perspectives, the survey helps hospitals identify care gaps, prioritise improvement efforts and enhance person-centred care.