Ethical climate and missed nursing care in cancer care units

What is it about?

Previous research has linked missed nursing care to nurses’ work environment. Ethical climate is a part of work environment. This study aim to describe the types of ethical climate in adult in-patient cancer care settings as perceived by nurses working in these units and their relationship to the reported missed nursing care. The relationship of missed care to different types of ethical climate was unknown until now. Five types of ethical climate have been identified, namely caring, law and code, rules, instrumental and independence. All types of ethical climate were related to the reported missed care. Efforts to reduce the influence of instrumental and independence types and fostering caring, law and code, and rules types might decrease missed nursing care.

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Why is it important?

This study contributes in the relevant literature by focusing on the association of missed nursing care with the types of ethical climate, as perceived by nurses working in adult in-patients cancer care (both oncology and hematology) units.All types of ethical climate were related to the reported missed care. Efforts to reduce the influence of instrumental and independence types and fostering caring, law and code, and rules types might decrease missed nursing care. The significance of missed nursing care in nursing,, lies in the fact that it may increase the risk of adverse patient outcomes, threaten patient safety, and reduce quality of care.

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