Nurses’ Perceptions of the Extent and Type of Missed Perioperative Nursing Care

ABSTRACT Missed nursing care is a concern on inpatient hospital units but has not been adequately explored in the perioperative setting. This cross‐sectional study used results from a survey of 1,693 AORN members to investigate the amount and type of missed perioperative nursing care and evaluate associations between reported missed care and facility and nurse characteristics. The survey asked OR nurses how frequently specific care items were missed by themselves or others. Overall, nurses’ perceptions of the frequency of missed care was 0.84 on a scale of 0 to 4 (0 = never, 4 = always). The survey items were categorized into five subscales: legal requirement, preparation, safety, communication, and closing routine. Nurses reported most missed care in the communication and preparation categories. The number of ORs at a facility, nurse education and job title, and perceptions of staffing adequacy were significantly associated with the perceived amount of missed perioperative nursing care.