The association of nurse caring behaviours on missed nursing care, adverse patient events and perceived quality of care: A cross-sectional study

Aim This study evaluated the role of nurse caring in predicting missed nursing care, adverse patient events and the quality of nursing care. Background Missed nursing care is an issue essential in health care, as it is associated with adverse patient events. While studies have previously examined factors that result in missed nursing care activities and adverse events, the role of nurse caring itself in this context has not yet been explored. Methods A cross-sectional research design was adopted, employing a convenience sample of 549 registered nurses from six hospitals in the Philippines identified between October 2018 and January 2019. Four self-report scales were used in this study as follows: the caring behaviour inventory, the missed nursing care scale, the adverse patient events scale and a single-item scale to measure the quality of nursing care. Results Comforting or talking with patients and changing patients' positioning in bed were the most frequently missed care tasks, while patient/family complaints and patient/family verbal abuse were the most frequently reported adverse events. Nurse caring strongly predicted the quality of care, missed nursing care and patient adverse events. Conclusion Fostering caring behaviours among nurses has a profound effect on nurses' decision to omit or provide nursing care as well as on reducing adverse events and promoting quality nursing care. Implications for nursing management The adoption of strategies to improve caring behaviours among nurses is critically important to prevent or reduce the occurrence of errors and adverse events.