Patient neglect in healthcare institutions

Patient neglect is an issue of increasing public concern yet remains poorly understood. "Patient neglect in healthcare institutions: a systematic review and conceptual model" reports on the nature, frequency and causes of patient neglect as distinct from patient safety topics such as medical error. Two aspects were found - procedure neglect, which refers to failures of healthcare staff to achieve objective standards of care; and caring neglect, which refers to behaviours that lead patients and observers to believe that staff have uncaring attitudes. The authors found that patients and their family members are more likely to report neglect than healthcare staff, and nurses are more likely to report on the neglectful behaviours of other nurses than on their own behaviour. The authors developed a social psychology-based conceptual model to explain the occurrence and nature of patient neglect to further facilitate further research into patient neglect in healthcare institutions.

Reader TW, Gillespie A. (2013). BMC Health Services Research, 13, 156