Changes in the Pre- and Postpandemic Unfinished Nursing Care Occurrence and Reasons as Perceived by Italian Nursing Students: A Secondary Analysis

Missed care, a phenomenon born in the United States more than 30 years ago and currently called unfinished nursing care (UNC), has been compared in pre- and postpandemic to detect changes in the trends as perceived by nurses. However, no studies have compared the perceptions of nursing students before and after these challenging times. The aim of this study was to compare pre- and postpandemic UNC occurrence and the reasons for it as perceived by Italian nursing students during their clinical rotations. A secondary analysis of data collected in 2018 (prepandemic) and 2023 (postpandemic) was conducted and here reported according to STROBE guidelines. The Unfinished Nursing Care Survey for Students (UNCS4S), measuring 22 expected interventions (from 22 [never] to 110 [always left unfinished]) and 18 possible reasons for it (from 18 [nonsignificant] to 90 [very significant]), was administered. The UNCS4S total scores of 231 (prepandemic) and 352 (postpandemic) students were 39.80 (CI 95% 37.06–42.54) and 50.89 (CI 95% 47.66–54.12), respectively (p ≤ 0.001). No significant differences between groups emerged for reasons (47.91, CI 95% 45.10–50.71 vs. 45.92, CI 95% 43.91–47.93, respectively; p = 0.257). Postpandemic students perceived a higher occurrence of UNC but with similar reasons to those reported before the pandemic.