We have conducted a series of studi

We have conducted a series of studies that show that missed nursing care is a significant problem. The first study was qualitative (Kalisch, 2006). A total of 173 nursing staff members in two acute-care hospitals were interviewed in 25 focus groups. Findings from this study uncovered nine areas of missed care that involved omissions of the following: ambulation, turning, delayed or missed feedings, patient teaching, discharge planning, emotional support, hygiene, intake and output documentation, and surveillance. Seven reasons were cited for the missing care: too few staff members, poor use of existing staff resources, time required for the nursing intervention, lack of teamwork, ineffective delegation, habit and denial.