Missed Nursing Care in Cancer Units and Its Relationship With Cancer Nurses' Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction: A Correlational Descriptive Study

Abstract

Objectives: Cancer nurses face heavy workloads and emotional strain, making missed nursing care (MNC)—the omission or delay of necessary care—a growing concern, particularly in oncology settings in which patient vulnerability is high. While professional quality of life (ProQOL), including compassion fatigue (CF), burnout (BO), and compassion satisfaction (CS), is known to affect care quality, its link to MNC in cancer units remains underexplored.This study aimed to examine the extent of missed nursing care in cancer clinics, as well as how CF, BO, and CS influence MNC. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 147 nurses working in inpatient and outpatient oncology units in Türkiye. Data were collected via an online survey using the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL IV) and the Missed Nursing Care Survey. Analyses included descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests, correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results: Nurses reported moderate-to-high CF and BO, and low-to-moderate CS. The most frequently missed care practice was emotional support for patients and their families. Key reasons for MNC included staffing shortages and limited resources. No significant relationship was found between CF or BO and MNC. However, lower CS was significantly associated with higher MNC. Regression analysis showed that working in public hospitals and low perceived social support significantly predicted MNC. Conclusions: Missed nursing care is influenced by low CS, inadequate support, and challenging work environments, particularly in public hospitals. Implications for Nursing Practice: Enhancing compassion satisfaction and institutional support may reduce missed care and improve cancer care quality. © 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.