Missed Care: Patient Safety Culture

Stavrianopoulos (2012) defines “missed care as any aspect of necessary or required patient support that is delayed or omitted in whole or in part” (p. 203). Missed care has emerged as a theoretical phenomenon that impacts medical and patient care in the whole world. This issue has been observed to pose numerous threats to the welfare of many patients. Medical professionals and experts have argued that missed care should be considered whenever designing new health policies.

Nurse-sensitive indicators

Many healthcare theories have outlined a number of nurse-sensitive indicators capable of catalyzing missed care situations. Nurses might engage in certain malpractices thereby affecting the quality of care. For example, nursing shortage has forced many healthcare facilities to overwork their caregivers. Consequently, the malpractice has resulted in job dissatisfaction and exhaustion (Stavrianopoulos, 2012). Exhausted workers have higher chances of providing inadequate care to their patients. Such practitioners will also “delay certain care practices, medicines, and support systems” (Callen, Georgiou, Li, & Westbrook, 2016, p. 198).

Nurses who are poorly empowered or guided have higher chances of committing various errors. The common “medical errors include prescription of wrong drugs, overdosing, under-dosing, and poor timing” (Kalisch, Landstrom, & Hinshaw, 2009, p. 1511). These nurse-sensitive indicators can result in missed care. Certain issues such as poor working environments and unavailability of resources will also result in similar problems. A proper understanding of these indicators can help many health practitioners deal with the implications of missed care.

Integrating theoretical evidences

Various nursing models explain how nurses can improve the quality of care provided to patient aggregates. Missed care has become a major concern in different healthcare settings. The Missed Care Model was developed in an attempt to improve the nature of nursing in different clinical situations (Kalisch et al., 2009). The model asserts that the safety of patients should be given priority. However, patient safety is usually “influenced by errors of omission or errors of commission” (Callen et al., 2016, p. 199). That being the case, the theory focuses on the best practices and approaches that can ensure culturally-competent care is delivered to more patients.

Since missed care is common in the global health sector, medical experts encourage policymakers to promote the best strategies that can improve the level of patient safety. Nurse practitioners and physicians should use desirable clinical judgments and concepts. Different models in healthcare propose the use of inter-professional perspectives to improve the quality of medical care. As well, translational processes should be implemented in order to identify the potential causes of medical errors (Stavrianopoulos, 2012). The issues contributing to missed care can also be analyzed in order to improve nursing practice. Kalisch et al. (2009) obverse “that the consequences of missed care continue to pose numerous threats to patient safety” (p. 1513). Policymakers and health specialists should consider these issues in order to develop the best nursing initiatives (Kalisch et al., 2009).

How Missed Care Impacts Continuous Quality Improvement in Health Care

Nursing is an evidence-based practice characterized by different models and theoretical underpinnings (Callen et al., 2016). Nurse Practitioners (NPs) should therefore focus on powerful practices that can result in continuous quality improvement (CQI). Patients’ needs have been changing within the past two decades. Medical practitioners should also embrace new ideas and competencies that can improve the quality of health care. However, cases of missed care make it impossible for many patients to receive timely and quality medical support. As well, the malpractice is associated with reduced patient safety.

Medical institutions characterized by such malpractices will definitely receive a small number of patients. More practitioners will also quit their jobs and eventually affect the effectiveness of the facility. Missed care also demoralizes patients and their caregivers. This situation affects every new initiative aimed at improving the quality of healthcare (Kalisch et al., 2009). In order to have CQI in healthcare, different stakeholders such as policymakers, physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), and public workers must join hands. They should work together in order to address various health challenges affecting many patients today.

Clinical Area of Expertise

The Missed Care Model can be applied in my current clinical area of expertise (Kalisch et al., 2009). Our clinic has continued to record increased cases of missed care. Such cases are usually characterized by poor patient outcomes. The problem has been observed to affect the needs of many patients and their family members. The model can therefore be used to analyze the potential factors contributing to missed care (Callen et al., 2016). The next approach is to identify new practices and measures that can empower different practitioners. New theories will also be embraced to empower and motivate more workers in the facility. These measures will eventually minimize the number of errors and nursing malpractices.

Quality Improvement and Safety

Health professionals should always use theories and concepts capable of improving the quality of care. Patient safety should be prioritized in every healthcare setting. NPs and caregivers should address the major challenges affecting the quality of care. Quality improvement strategies should be undertaken continuously. The existing gaps and obstacles must also be identified. The CQI concept is therefore appropriate towards minimizing the number of missed care cases (Stavrianopoulos, 2012). New policies should also be put in place to empower more practitioners.

Reference List

Callen, J., Georgiou, A., Li, J., & Westbrook, J. (2016). The safety implications of missed test results for hospitalised patients: a systematic review. BMJ Quality & Safety, 20(1), 194-199.

Kalisch, B., Landstrom, G., & Hinshaw, A. (2009). Missed nursing care: a concept analysis. Journal of Advancing Nursing, 65(5), 1509-1517.

Stavrianopoulos, T. (2012). The development of patient safety culture. Health Science Journal, 6(2), 201-211.