Aim: The main aim of the research was to describe and compare unfinished nursing care in selected European countries. Background: The high prevalence of unfinished nursing care reported in recently published studies, as well as its connection to negative effects on nurse and patient outcomes, has made unfinished care an important phenomenon and a quality indicator for nursing activities. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken. Unfinished nursing care was measured using the Perceived Implicit Rationing of Nursing Care questionnaire (PIRNCA). The sample included 1,353 nurses from four European countries (Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia). Results: The percentage of nurses leaving one or more nursing activities unfinished ranged from 95.2% (Slovakia) to 97.8% (Czech Republic). Mean item scores on the 31 items of the PIRNCA in the total sample ranged from 1.13 to 1.92. Unfinished care was significantly associated with the type of hospital and quality of care. Conclusion: The research results confirmed the prevalence of unfinished nursing care in the countries surveyed. Implications for Nursing Management: The results are a useful tool for enabling nurse managers to look deeper into nurse staffing and other organizational issues that may influence patient safety and quality of care.

The professional practice environment is a factor that can have a significant impact on missed nursing care. The study aimed to find a relationship between nurses’ perceptions of their professional practice environment and missed nursing care and job satisfaction. An additional aim was to find differences in nurses’ perceived rating of the professional practice environment according to hospital location and job position. A descriptive correlational study was performed. The sample included 513 general and practical nurses providing direct care in nine Czech hospitals. The Revised Professional Practice Environment scale and the Missed Nursing Care (MISSCARE) survey were used to collect data. The professional practice environment was most correlated with satisfaction with the current position (0.4879). The overall score of missed care correlated most strongly with the subscale “staff relationships” (−0.2774). Statistically significant differences in the rating of two subscales, “control over practice” and “cultural sensitivity”, were found between nurses from hospitals in district capitals and those from hospitals in smaller cities. Statistically significant differences in the rating of the “leadership and autonomy in clinical practice” and “teamwork” subscales were found between general nurses and practical nurses. The professional practice environment is related to nurse satisfaction and missed nursing care.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess country-specific evidence of physical and non-physical acts of workplace violence towards nurses working in the health sector in 5 European countries, and then to identify reasons for not reporting violence experienced at work. Material and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in 5 participating countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Turkey, and Spain). All registered nurses working in selected healthcare settings for at least 1 year were invited to participate in the study. A questionnaire adapted from the Workplace Violence in the Health Sector Country Case Study -Questionnaire, developed jointly by the International Labour Office, the International Council of Nurses, the World Health Organization and Public Services International, was used. The selection of healthcare settings and the distribution of the questionnaire were conducted according to the recommendations of the questionnaire authors. Results: In total, 1089 nurses submitted completed questionnaires which could be included in the study. Of these, 54% stated that they had been exposed to non-physical violence and 20% had been exposed to physical violent acts. A total of 15% of the surveyed nurses experienced both forms of workplace violence. In addition, 18% of the respondents confirmed having witnessed physical violence in their workplace. The most common perpetrators were patients and patients' relatives. In about 70% of these cases, no actions were taken after the act of violence to investigate its causes. About half of the study group did not report workplace violence as they believed it was useless or not important. The most common consequences of workplace violence included being "superalert" or watchful and on guard. Conclusions: Nurses internationally are both victims of and witnesses to workplace violence. Workplace violence is often seen by nurses as an occupational hazard and, as such, it remains not reported. The first step in preventing workplace violence is not only to acknowledge its existence but also to ensure the appropriate reporting of violent acts. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(3):325-38

Aim:The aims of the pilot study were a) to compare the amount, type, and reasons for missed nursing care in the Czech Republic and Slovakia; and b) to investigate the psychometric properties of the Slovak and Czech versions of the MISSCARE Survey. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: For measurement of missed nursing care The Missed Nursing Care (MISSCARE) Survey was used. The sample consisted of 226 hospital nurses in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Results: The internal consistency of Part A measured by Cronbach alpha was 0.939 for the Czech version and 0.945 for the Slovak version of the MISSCARE Survey. The average score for missed nursing care was 1.64 ± 0.51 for the Czech Republic, and 1.99 ± 0.83 for Slovakia. Shortfalls in labor resources were cited as the chief reason for missed nursing care in the countries surveyed. Conclusion: Psychometric testing showed that the Czech and Slovak versions of the MISSCARE Survey are reliable and valid tools, and can be used for measuring missed nursing care.

BackgroundNursing shortages, the substitution of practical nurses for registered nurses, an ageing workforce, the decreasing number of nurse graduates and the increasing migration of young nurses are important factors associated with the hospital safety climate in Central European countries.AimsThe aim of the study was to investigate nurses’ perceptions of the safety climate in four selected central European countries (Croatia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) and to determine the relationship between safety climate and unfinished nursing care.MethodsA cross‐sectional study was used. The sample consisted of 1353 European nurses from four countries. Instruments used were the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and the Perceived Implicit Rationing of Nursing Care. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analyses.ResultsSignificant differences were found between countries in all unit/hospital/outcome dimensions. ‘Perceived Patient Safety’ and ‘Reporting of Incident Data’ were associated with aspects of ‘Organizational Learning’ and ‘Feedback and Communication about Error’. Higher prevalence of unfinished nursing care is associated with more negative perceptions of patient safety climate.ConclusionsCross‐cultural comparisons allow us to examine differences and similarities in safety dimensions across countries. The areas with potential for initiating strategies for improvement in all four countries are ‘Staffing’, ‘Non‐punitive Response to Error’ and ‘Teamwork across Hospital Units’.Implications for nursing and health policy‘Feedback and Communicating about Error’ and ‘Organizational Learning ‐ Continuous Improvement’ were the main predictors of ‘Overall Perception of Patient Safety’ and ‘Reporting of Incident Data’. Therefore, nurse managers should focus on how to empower nurses in these areas in order to foster a no‐blame culture and effective reporting. In addition, it is important for policymakers to update nursing education standards in order to address patient safety.

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The results of tests on the psychometric properties of the PNAP questionnaire showed at least satisfactory validity and reliability, and it can be employed to assess the needs of palliative care patients in Central European countries.

Aim To provide initial data regarding country‐specific evidence of workplace violence towards nurses working within the health sector in five European countries. Methods This is a descriptive and cross‐sectional pilot study, conducted in June 2016. The sample consisted of 260 nurses working in selected health care settings in five participating countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Turkey, and Spain). The questionnaire used was adapted from the International Labour Office/International Council of Nurses/World Health Organisation/Public Services International Workplace Violence in the Health Sector Country Case Study—Questionnaire. Results A large number of participants confirmed that they had been physically attacked or verbally abused in the workplace in the last 12 months. In most cases, the physical and verbal abuse was inflicted by patients and to a lesser degree by relatives of patients, staff members, or managers/supervisors. In the majority of cases, no action was taken to investigate the causes of the incidents. In most cases, participants believed there was no point in reporting the incidents. However, the reasons for not reporting or discussing incidents of workplace violence varied depending on the country. Conclusion Workplace violence towards nurses is a serious problem internationally, and violence prevention strategies need to be implemented.