# What Is ‘Missed Nursing Care’ During an Emerging Infectious Disease? A Concept Analysis

## TL;DR

This paper defines 'missed nursing care' during emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19 and highlights its causes and implications for healthcare.

## Contribution

Provides a new, evidence-based conceptual framework for understanding missed nursing care during pandemics.

## Key findings

- Missed nursing care during emerging diseases involves suboptimal, prioritized, and interrupted patient care activities.
- Factors like resource shortages and communication issues contribute to disrupted nursing care.
- The concept can guide policy adaptation and tool development for future health crises.

## Abstract

Missed nursing care (MNC) is a global and important phenomenon in nursing and is universally used as an indicator of the quality of nursing care. However, no precise definition is available for this concept's dimensions and clinical features during an emerging infectious disease. This study aims to furnish a comprehensive evidence‐based definition of MNC in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic.

A concept analysis paper.

This study was conducted using an integrative approach to the concept analysis of Walker and Avant. In the literature review stage, the databases CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed as well as the Google Scholar search engine were searched from December 2019 to April 2024. Keywords of the study were selected according to the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and previous research. Textual analysis of the selected articles was conducted using an inductive and deductive approach. Throughout the study, the authors followed the SRQR checklist.

The results indicated the concept of ‘missed nursing care’ during an emerging and infectious disease such as COVID‐19 refers to a set of nursing activities and procedures that require interaction and close contact with patients and must be included in the care and treatment plan for patients (supportive, psychological‐social care and basic/bedside care). However, these activities have been presented as suboptimal, prioritised and interrupted. These attributes are caused by the complexity of caring for emerging diseases, aggravating lack of human and material resources, communication/teamwork and individual factors.

The concept of MNC during an emerging infectious disease is an altered cognitive process that can be defined as disrupted nursing care (DNC) in the nurse role adjustment, time management and care environment for various reasons. COVID‐19 has been the most significant disruptor in healthcare, but it will not be the last.

This conceptual analysis can help sensitise care managers to the holistic view and adaptation of policies and strategies in crises, develop care models and theories, and help researchers generate specific tools or clinical scales for accreditation in emerging infectious diseases.

No patient or public contribution.