Caring for the Elderly Enhances Positive Attitudes Better Than Knowledge in Nursing Students

Autor: Elena Castellano-Rioja, Marta Botella-Navas, Lourdes López-Hernández, Francisco Miguel Martínez-Arnau, Pilar Pérez-Ros
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Medicina, Vol 58, Iss 9, p 1201 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1648-9144
1010-660X
DOI: 10.3390/medicina58091201
Popis: Background and Objectives: There is a growing interest in the measurement of attitudes towards older people in healthcare professionals, as there is a need to implement interventions to improve ageist attitudes. A one group pretest–posttest study was carried out to explore the change in nursing student attitudes towards the elderly during their university careers. Materials and Method: A total of 97 nursing students were enrolled. Attitudes were analyzed using Kogan’s Attitudes Toward Old People Scale. Results: The attitude was positive from the beginning of the study, with a score of 110.06 (12.92). No differences were observed after completing the subject “Care of the elderly” (106.21 (10.77)), though a significant increase was recorded after the completion of clinical placement (142.88 (12.64)), with a large effect size (η2p = 0.754). The score of the positive items was significantly increased, but not that of the negative items, as ageist attitude was not reduced. Conclusion: The current curricular design, that includes taking the theoretical course before clinical placement in the geriatric area, increases positive attitudes in nursing students but does not reduce ageist attitudes.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals