Association between nurses' breaks, missed nursing care and patient safety in Korean hospitals

Abstract

Aims: To examine the relationship between breaks and patient safety in Korean hospitals and determine the mediating effect of missed nursing care on this relationship. Background: Breaks during working hours can affect patient safety; however, few studies have examined the relationship between breaks and patient safety in hospitals and their findings were conflicting. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 399 nurses in Korean hospitals. Multiple linear regression was used to explore the association between breaks, missed nursing care and patient safety. Model 4 of Hayes's (2018) and bootstrapping analysis were employed to identify the mediating effect of missed nursing care. Results: Average break time per shift was about 15 min; most participants had breaks of less than 30 min. Missed nursing care was a complete mediator of the relationship between breaks and patient safety. Conclusion: Break length has an indirect effect on patient safety, medication errors and falls with injury through missed nursing care. Implications for Nursing Management: More discussion is needed to develop policy and mandatory regulations to ensure sufficient breaks and adequate nurse staffing to reduce missed nursing care and enhance patient safety. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd