The Effects of Organizational Characteristics, Individual Nurse Characteristics, and Occupational Fatigue on Missed Care at Night

Background Missed care is defined as the omission or delay of necessary patient care and is internationally reported by nurses as a significant safety risk. Nurses working at night also report high levels of occupational fatigue that, coupled with inadequate staffing and practice environment support, may impede a nurse’s ability to carry out the nursing process and lead to more missed care. Objective The study’s objective was to examine the interrelationships among organizational and nurse characteristics, occupational fatigue, and missed care among nurses working at night. Methods A cross-sectional design was used. Participants included registered nurses (RNs) who worked at night in New Jersey acute care hospitals. Multiple linear regression and simple moderation analyses were performed to examine the associations. Results Nurses reported missing necessary care at night. Unsupportive practice environments, high RN workloads, high patient–RN ratios, high chronic fatigue levels, and low intershift recovery were individually associated with missed care at night. High patient-to-RN ratios and chronic fatigue were independently associated with missed care. However, patient-to-registered-staffing levels had the most considerable effect on missed care at night. Nurses’ years of experience and the number of hours of sleep between shifts were significant moderators of the relationship between occupational fatigue states and missed care. Discussion This study is the first to examine the interrelationship between occupational fatigue levels, organizational and nurse characteristics, and missed care at night. There is an urgent need to implement strategies in hospital organizations that foster work schedules and adequate staffing patterns that lessen nurses’ occupational fatigue levels to ensure our workforce’s and patients’ safety.