Occurrence and reasons for unfinished nursing care between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients

Aim: To compare the occurrence and the reasons for unfinished care among coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and non-COVID-19 patients as perceived by nurses. Background: The recent pandemic has imposed tremendous changes in hospitals in all countries. Introduction: Investigating the occurrence of and the reasons for unfinished care as perceived by nurses working in COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 units might help to gain insights and to address future pandemics. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study based on the STROBE guideline has been conducted during November 2020-January 2021. The Unfinished Nursing Care Survey, comprising part A (elements) and part B (reasons), was administered online to all 479 nurses working in medical and surgical units converted progressively into COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 units. A total of 90 and 200 nurses participated, respectively. Results: No differences in the unfinished care occurrence have emerged at the overall level between nurses caring for COVID (2.10 out of 5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.94-2.27) and non-COVID-19 patients (2.16; 95% CI, 2.06-2.26). Reasons for unfinished care reported significant higher averages among nurses caring for COVID (2.21; 95% CI, 2.10-2.31) as compared with those caring for non-COVID-19 patients (2.07; 95% CI, 2.01-2.14; p = 0.030). Discussion: The overall occurrence of unfinished care was slightly higher compared with pre-pandemic data in all patients. Conclusions: Reasons triggering unfinished care were slightly different and were due to priority setting and human resources issues, which were perceived at higher significance among nurses working in COVID-19 compared with non-COVID-19 units. Implication for nursing and health policies: A clear map of action has emerged that might be valid in the post-COVID-19 era as well as in the case of future pandemics.