Abstract
BACKGROUND: Compassionate care, one of the essential elements of nursing, can positively impact various dimensions of the quality of nursing services. Patient safety culture can be associated with missed nursing care through its effects on patient health outcomes. AIM: This study aimed to examine the relationship between compassionate care, missed nursing care, and patient safety culture among nurses working in adult critical care units. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using convenience sampling on 290 nurses working in adult critical care units in 2023. During the study, four questionnaires were utilized to collect data: Demographic Information, the Compassionate Care Scale, the Patient Safety Culture Questionnaire, and the MISSCARE survey. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 24 through descriptive and correlational analysis. RESULTS: The results of the study indicated a significant inverse relationship between compassionate care and the level of missed nursing care (P = 0.007, r = -0.158). Additionally, there was a significant relationship between compassionate care and several dimensions of patient safety culture (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Given the significant inverse relationship between compassionate care and missed nursing care, as well as the significant positive relationship between compassionate care and certain dimensions of patient safety culture in critical care units, nursing managers can enhance the quality of nursing care by prioritizing compassionate care.