Understanding Missed Care: Definitions, Measures, Conceptualizations, Evidence, Prevalence, and Challenges

The problem of patients not receiving the full complement of nursing services is recognized around the globe and is highly prevalent across practice settings. The phenomenon was originally associated with health-care rationing and consequently remains an emotionally charged issue within the nursing community. Multiple terms are now used interchangeably as labels for this phenomenon which we call missed care. Drawing from a robust review of the literature, we examine the concept of missed care in the context of multiple theoretical paradigms to provide readers with a deeper understanding of how missed care develops and what the outcomes are. We also will review the empirical evidence related to the translation, interpretation, and preference of related terminology. Finally, we will review the empirical evidence related to the prevalence, antecedents, and associated outcomes of missed care.