Unmet care needs in psychiatric healthcare context: A systematized literature review
Authors: Kohanová Dominika , Zrubcová Dana , Bartoníčková Daniela , Solgajová Andrea 
Published: July 2024

Accessible summary

What Is Known on the Subject

Missed, rationed or unfinished nursing care represents a global problem that jeopardizes the provision of quality and safe care.

This phenomenon is frequently observed in adult, paediatric and child healthcare facilities and various care units.

What the Paper Adds to Existing Knowledge

The findings of this review contribute valuable information to inform evidence‐based practices, foster organizational improvements and ultimately optimize the overall quality of care in psychiatric healthcare settings.

In addition, the review illuminates the far‐reaching consequences of care on both patient and nurse outcomes, emphasizing the urgent need for tailored strategies to mitigate these effects.

What Are the Implications for Practice

Based on the synthesis of the literature, a thorough and continuous assessment of patient care needs in the physical, psychological and social domains is needed, primarily utilizing standardized instruments designed for psychiatric settings to ensure a comprehensive understanding of unmet needs. Based on identified unmet needs, nurses should develop individualized care plans and tailor interventions to address them.

In addition, nurse managers must adopt and implement regular monitoring mechanisms to track the prevalence of unmet care needs and at the same time establish reporting systems that capture the proportion of unmet needs, allowing timely interventions and adjustments to care delivery.

Lastly, nurse managers must not only emphasize the importance of ethical care practices and dignity‐focused interventions but also educate healthcare providers, especially nurses, on the potential threats to patient dignity arising from unmet care needs.

Introduction

Despite frequent observations of unmet care needs in acute care adult settings, there are a limited number of studies that focus on investigating this phenomenon in the psychiatric setting.

Aim

To synthesize the existing empirical research on unmet care needs in psychiatric healthcare settings.

Methods

The search was carried out in August 2023 in four scientific databases, PubMed, ProQuest, Web of Science and OVID Nursing, based on their institutional availability. The search produced 1129 studies. The search and retrieval process reflected the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses.

Results

This review included 14 studies investigating unmet care needs in the psychiatric healthcare setting. Unmet care needs included three domains: physical, psychological and social. The analysis of the factors revealed factors related to the characteristics of the organization, nurse and patient.

Discussion

The classification of unmet needs provides a comprehensive understanding of the various challenges facing people in psychiatric healthcare settings.

Implication for Practice

Identified factors that influence the occurrence of unmet care needs will help prevent the occurrence of unmet care needs and timely assessment. The resolution of needs helps to achieve patient and nurse outcomes, increase the quality of care provided and patient satisfaction in a psychiatric healthcare setting.