Factors associated with nursing students' attitudes toward older people: A scoping review

Gerontological educational interventions for student nurses: a systematic review of qualitative findings

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review of qualitative studies explored interventions to improve student nurses' knowledge, attitudes or willingness to work with older people. Student nurses are likely to encounter older people in all health and aged care settings, however, research demonstrates that few have career aspirations in gerontological nursing.

METHODS

Qualitative systematic review method based on the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

RESULTS

Search of Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, EBSCOhost and Scopus yielded 1841 articles which were screened to include primary research about educational interventions to improve student nurses' knowledge, attitudes and/or willingness to work with older people. Data extraction was performed on the 14 included studies, and data were analysed using directed content analysis. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used the assess the quality of the studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Educational interventions included theory or practice courses, or a combination of theory and practice. While most interventions changed nursing students' negative attitudes towards older people, few increased their willingness to work with them. Practice courses had the most significant impact on willingness to work with older people. Quality assessment revealed methodical limitations. More research is needed to better understand the elements of practice interventions that enhance student nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to work with older people, so that they can be replicated.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Nursing Students' Attitudes toward Older Adults: A Pre/Post-Study

As the global population ages, nurses with a positive attitude toward caring for older adults is crucial. However, studies indicate that nursing students often exhibit negative attitudes toward older adults. This study aimed to determine if a three-phased educational intervention significantly improved nursing students' attitudes toward older adults. A pre/post-test study design was used to measure the change in nursing students' attitudes toward older adults, as measured by the UCLA Geriatrics Attitudes Survey, after participating in an Artificial Intelligence in Education learning event (n = 151). Results indicate that post-intervention scores (M = 35.07, SD = 5.34) increased from pre-intervention scores (M = 34.50, SD = 4.86). This difference was statistically significant at the 0.10 significance level (t = 1.88, p = 0.06). Incorporating artificial intelligence technology in a learning event is an effective educational strategy due to its convenience, repetition, and measurable learning outcomes. Improved attitudes toward older adults are foundational for delivering competent care to a rapidly growing aging population. This study was prospectively registered with the university's Institutional Review Board (IRB) on 30 July 2021 with the registration number IRB-FY22-3.

Using Assisted Living Communities to Enhance Nursing Student Attitudes Toward Older Adults

PURPOSE

The older adult population continues to increase, resulting in greater use of health care resources. Nurses will be at the forefront of providing competent care to this population, but many nurses do not wish to work with the aged population after graduation. The current study sought to explore whether the addition of a clinical shift at an assisted living community promoted positive attitudes by nursing students toward older adults and exposed them to healthy aging.

METHODS

Students (N = 70) in a required undergraduate course at a large university in the West received clinical experience at local assisted living communities in which they independently interviewed a resident and provided an educational session to residents.

RESULTS

Students, communities, and clinical instructors had a positive experience in this clinical, finding it rewarding and meaningful and a mechanism for observing healthy aging.

CONCLUSION

The incorporation of a clinical experience at an assisted living facility into a stand-alone gerontology course created a positive shift in nursing student attitudes toward older adults, dispelled myths and stereotypes, and was reported to be a meaningful experience. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(2), 11-15.].

Adaptation of the Gerontological Nursing Competence (GeroNursingCom) instrument to Turkish: Validity and reliability study

AIM

The aim of this study was to conduct a Turkish validity and reliability study of the Gerontological Nursing Competence Scale and to adapt the scale to Turkish culture.

BACKGROUND

As the number of older people increses, gerontological nursing requires specialized expertise in older people care. High-quality basic education and further education guarantee good competence in gerontological care.

DESIGN

A methodological study of instrument translation and validation.

METHODS

The study was methodological and the sample consisted of 530 university students who agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected by online interview method using the Introductory Information Form and Gerontological Nursing Competence Scale (GeroNursingCom). Before starting the study, permission was obtained from the ethics committee, the relevant institution, the scale owner and the students. Language equivalence and content validity of the scale were ensured and Confirmatory Factor Analysis Models (CFA) was conducted. Cronbach Alpha and item-total correlation analysis were used for the reliability of the scale.

RESULTS

The scale was compatible in terms of linguistic fidelity Content Validity Index (CVI) (Language)=0.97 and content fidelity CVI (Content)=0.96. The CFA results showed that the χ2/sd value was 1.861 and since this value was less than three, it can be stated that the model provided an excellent fit to the data. Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and Non-normalized Fit Index (NNFI) values were determined as 0.99 and 0.99 respectively and these values being above 0.90 indicate that the model provides an excellent fit to the data. Square Root of Standardized Errors (SRMR) index was 0.045 and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) index was 0.040 and these values were less than 0.080, indicating that the model provided an excellent fit to the data. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of 0.97 was found to be highly reliable and the Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients calculated for the sub-dimensions ranged between 0.77 and 0.91.

CONCLUSIONS

It was determined that the gerontological nursing competence scale is valid and reliable for nursing students and can be used in both student and working nurses living in Turkey.

Survey of pharmacy students to assess attitudes toward a career in older adult care

INTRODUCTION

In the United States, the older adult population is growing faster than the geriatrics-trained healthcare workforce. The primary objective of this study was to determine the top factors that increase or decrease pharmacy student interest in seeking a career in geriatrics.

METHODS

A 23-item survey was disseminated to 611 first- through fourth-year pharmacy students. Participants were recruited from two public schools of pharmacy in the United States from February through September 2022. Surveys were administered during class or distributed via email and websites for required courses. Participation was voluntary, and responses were anonymous. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, Fisher's exact test, and analysis of variance were used for analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 210 responses were received. Respondents were evenly split between somewhat or extremely interested and somewhat or extremely disinterested in geriatrics. Among those interested, the top factors driving interest were past positive experiences with older adults, interest in deprescribing, and perceived need for geriatrics-trained providers. Among those not interested, the top three factors discouraging interest were emotional impact of death and end-of-life care, disinterest in geriatric syndromes, and perception of inadequate exposure to geriatrics within the curriculum.

CONCLUSIONS

In order to ensure an adequately trained geriatrics workforce for the aging population, it is crucial to intensify efforts to encourage health profession students to pursue careers in geriatric care. Creating opportunities to increase interest and addressing factors that discourage interest may augment the pipeline of pharmacy students wishing to seek a career specializing in older adult care.

Association between spirituality and attitudes toward older adults in nursing students: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

This study aimed to determine the correlation between spirituality and attitudes toward older adults among nursing students.

METHODS

The study was designed as a cross-sectional study. This study was conducted with nursing students in the nursing department of a university in Eastern Turkey. The study was completed with 366 nursing students. An information form, the Spirituality Scale, and Kogan's Attitudes toward Old People Scale were used.

RESULTS

The mean score of the Spirituality Scale was 104.18 ± 18.79, and the mean score of the Kogan's Attitudes toward Old People Scale was 99.11 ± 13.57. There was a small but significant correlation between spirituality and attitudes toward older adults (r = 0.342, p < 0.01). Moreover, the results indicated that spirituality is positive and significantly predicted attitudes toward older adults (β = 0.342, t = 19.495, p < 0.01) and explained 11.7% of the variance in attitudes toward older adults.

CONCLUSIONS

A small but significant correlation was found between spirituality and attitudes toward older adults. Further study on the causal relationship between spirituality and attitudes toward older adults among nursing students is necessary.

Nursing students' attitudes towards the use of digital technology in the healthcare of older adults- a cross-sectional study in Norway and Sweden

BACKGROUND

Implementation of digital technology has been suggested as a potential solution to future healthcare challenges. Healthcare personnel's attitudes are important in the acceptance and implementation of digital technologies.

AIM

The aims of this study were to (1) translate and validate two different questionnaires to Norwegian and Swedish respectively, and then (2) use these to examine nursing students' attitudes towards digital technology in healthcare, as well as their attitudes towards older adults' abilities to use digital technology.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

METHODS

A web-based questionnaire was distributed in first year nursing students in a Norwegian and a Swedish university college, respectively. The questionnaire consisted of the short form of the 'Information Technology Attitude Scales for Health (ITASH)' and the 'Attitudes Towards Older Adults Using Digital technology (ATOAUT-11)' questionnaire. The questionnaires were translated and validated in both countries. Frequencies, Student's t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

In total 236 students responded to the questionnaire in the period September 2022 to April 2023. Students mainly reported positive attitudes towards digital technology use in general. They most agreed with the items 'Using digital technology devices makes my communication with other health professionals faster', 'The sort of information I can get from the digital technology devices helps me give better care to patient', and 'Digital technology skills are becoming more and more necessary for healthcare professionals'. However, they reported more negative attitudes towards older adults using digital technology. They most agreed with the items 'One needs a lot of patience to explain to an older adult how to use digital technologies', 'It's hard to explain to older adults how to use digital technology', 'Using digital technology is harder for most older adults', and 'Most older adults fear using digital technology because they fear of being scammed or cheated'.

CONCLUSION

The ITASH and the ATOAUT-11 is appropriate for use in a Norwegian and Swedish setting. Even if nursing students are positive to digital technology in healthcare in general, they are sceptical to older adults using digital technology. This may impact on their attitudes to using digital technology in the healthcare of older adults. These aspects need emphasis when revising nursing education curricula focusing on developing technological competencies in nursing, and gaining knowledge regarding older adults' use of digital technology.

Health and social care workers' professional values: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Professional values create a basis for successful collaboration and person-centred care in integrated care and services. Little is known about how different health and social care workers assess their professional values.

RESEARCH AIM

To describe and compare professional value orientation among different health and social care workers in Finland.

RESEARCH DESIGN

A quantitative cross-sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCH CONTEXT

We carried out an online survey of health and social care workers from 8 March to 31 May 2022, using the Finnish version of the Nurses' Professional Values Scale-3. The data were analysed using descriptive and advanced statistics.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Permission was received from all participating organizations and those who completed the survey provided informed consent.

RESULTS

A total of 1823 health and social care workers, representing seven professional groups and students, took part. The overall level of professional values among the participants was relatively high. Commitment to providing patients and clients with equal care was more important than engaging with society and professional responsibilities in the work environment. Professional values were strongest among professionals with higher educational degrees and training in professional ethics. The same was true for workers who received organizational support for ethical practice, were satisfied with their work and had shorter work experience.

DISCUSSION

Our results showed shared professional values among different health and social care workers and students. These results are meaningful for integrated care and services. At the same time, a clear need for strengthening engagement with society and professional responsibilities for developing work environments were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Health and social care workers and students need training in professional ethics and organizational support for ethical practice and work satisfaction to maintain their professional values at different stages of their career.

Factors influencing baccalaureate nursing students' attitudes toward older adults: An integrative review

BACKGROUND

With a rapidly growing population of older adults in the U.S., nurses are needed to provide quality gerontological nursing care. However, few nursing students plan to specialize in gerontological nursing and many relate their lack of interest in gerontological nursing to negative pre-existing attitudes toward older adults.

PURPOSE

An integrative review was conducted to examine factors associated with positive attitudes toward older adults in baccalaureate nursing students.

METHODS

A systematic database search was performed to identify eligible articles published between January 2012 and February 2022. Data were extracted, displayed in matrix format, and synthesized into themes.

RESULTS

Two overarching themes were identified as having a positive impact on students' attitudes toward older adults: past rewarding experiences with older adults and gerontology-focused teaching strategies, particularly service-learning projects and simulation.

CONCLUSION

Nurse educators can improve students' attitudes toward older adults by incorporating service-learning and simulation activities into nursing curriculum.

The Effect of Integrating Service-Learning and Learning Portfolio Construction into the Curriculum of Gerontological Nursing

Background: With the rapid increase in the aging population, a greater number of older individuals will require nursing care in the future. Therefore, it is important for nurses to be willing to engage in gerontological nursing. Nursing students must increase their experience in providing care to older people during their education and must receive education that improves their attitudes toward aging; this will help provide care to the older people, develop positive attitudes toward aging, and increase their empathy and willingness to provide care to older people after graduation. Hence, studies focused on improving the attitude of nursing students toward aging are urgently required. Methods: In this mixed-method experimental study, participants were interviewed individually and observed to better understand the connection between quantitative and qualitative data. Service learning and learning portfolio constructions were integrated in the gerontological nursing curriculum of an experimental group, whereas traditional gerontological nursing curriculum was provided to a control group. Quantitative data on the nursing students were collected using the attitudes toward aging scale (ATAS) and older people behavioral intention scale (OBIS) and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Result: From the pre- to the post-test, the average ATAS and OBIS scores of the experimental group increased significantly, reaching a statistically significant level. However, the results of the control group indicated that the educational intervention does affect the attitudes toward aging and older people behaviors. A qualitative analysis revealed that educational intervention can improve the students’ attitudes toward aging and older people behavioral intention. Conclusion: Our study results showed that integrating community older people service and learning portfolio construction into the curriculum can effectively improve the attitudes of nursing students toward aging and older people’s behaviors, thus providing substantial assistance to students intending to care for the older people in the future.