AUTHOR=Safdari Ali , Rassouli Maryam , Jafarizadeh Raana , Khademi Fatemeh , Barasteh Salman 

TITLE=Causes of Missed Nursing Care During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in Iran

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.758156

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.758156

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background: The unpredictable and variable nature of COVID-19 as well as the lack of healthcare resources has led to inadequate care for patients. The current study aimed to explain the causes of missed nursing care during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of Iranian nurses.
Method: The present qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 14 nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in three hospitals in Iran. Sampling was performed by purposive method. Data were analyzed using the conventional content analysis method. The interviews were first recorded and transcribed, and then the data was analyzed using the Elo and Kyngas method. Data management was done with MAXQDA software version 10. 
Findings: A total of 14 nurses participated in the study. The mean age of participants was 31.85±4.95 years, and the mean number of years of work experience was 7.71±4.44. Eleven participants were female. Among all participants, nine had a bachelor's degree and five had a master's degree. Four nurses had fixed shifts, while ten nurses had rotating shifts. The causes of missed nursing care were categorized into 4 groups. The category “Unfulfilled care” comprised the reasons of forgetting care, neglecting care, arbitrary elimination of care, and compulsory elimination of care. The category of "care at improper time" consisted of interference of the care in patients' daily activities and interference with other healthcare providers' activities. The "incomplete cares" category comprised failure to complete the care period in hospital, interruption in care, and discontinuance of care after patient discharge. The last category, "incorrect care," consisted of providing care regardless of the nursing process, providing care by unqualified professionals, and providing trial-and-error care.
Conclusion: The present study illustrates an understanding of the causes of missed nursing care during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of nurses. The increasing demand for care caused by the pandemic as well as problems in the work environment has led to the failure of nurses to provide complete, correct care and sometimes miss parts of care to patients. Therefore, nursing policy makers and managers should develop and implement appropriate care protocols and instructions to minimize missed care.