LAUSR

AIMS This study quantifies the types and frequencies of missed care identified by nurses and measures its impact on their capacity to demonstrate mandatory practice standards as future hospital staff. BACKGROUND Considerable literature exists as to the nature of missed care but there is a paucity of findings about how missed care impacts on learning firstly as a student and then as a graduate nurse employed in a hospital setting. Additionally, there is little emphasis as to how staff development for nurses exposed to missed care may be implemented METHODS: A non-experimental research design using self-audit data was selected to collect information about the types and frequencies of missed care from nurses engaging in clinical experience. A convenience sample of 471 nursing students completing their undergraduate nursing degree program. A multi-variate statistical approach was used to apply and then model the consensus scores of undergraduate nurses' beliefs about the frequency of missed care. Implications for their developing competence in critical thinking, therapeutic communication and maintaining capacity for professional practice has been considered. RESULTS Eight variables directly affect student's total scores underpinning their understanding of missed care and their ability to meet professional standards of practice, given their exposure to care omission. These factors reflect differing nurse attributes, the nature of the clinical venues and shift times, preceptor type, student satisfaction with work teams and staffing adequacy. CONCLUSIONS Modeling outcomes suggest possible changes to hospital staff development learning program content, learning processes and how it may be better delivered through to minimise episodes of missed care.