Intensive care unit nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards older adults with COVID-19: A cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

Older adults constitute the majority of patients admitted to COVID-19 intensive care units (ICUs). The knowledge and attitudes of ICU nurses towards older adults diagnosed with COVID-19 significantly impact the quality of treatment and nursing care they deliver.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to determine the ICU nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards older adults with COVID-19.

METHOD

This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted between February and October 2021. The sample consisted of 112 ICU nurses from a public hospital and three university hospitals. Demographic data were collected together with the Nurse COVID-19 Knowledge Level Assessment Form (NKLAF) and the Kogan's Attitudes Toward Old People Scale (KAOPS). The data were analysed using the independent-groups t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U Test (Z score), Kruskale-Wallis Variance Test, post hoc test, and Spearman's correlation analysis.

RESULTS

Intensive care nurses had a mean NKLAF score of 21.29 ± 2.63 (mean difference: 21.24). They had a mean KAOPS score of 129.37 ± 15.20 (mean difference: 129.32). There was no correlation between NKLAF and KAOPS scores (r = 0.163, p > 0.05). Female nurses had a significantly higher mean NKLAF score than their male counterparts (Z: -2.733, p = 0.006). The intensive care nurses with bachelor's degrees had a significantly higher mean KAOPS score than those with associate degrees (KW: 6.888, p = 0.032).

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that ICU nurses know enough about COVID-19 and have positive attitudes towards older adults diagnosed with it. Moreover, some descriptive characteristics affect the knowledge and attitudes of ICU nurses towards older adults. Therefore, nurses should consider these factors when planning interventions to enhance their care for older adults.

Disability, Discrimination, and Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Stress Process Model

Drawing on data from a community survey with a sizeable subsample of people with physical, intellectual, and psychological disabilities in the Intermountain West region of the United States (N = 2,043), this investigation examined the association of social stressors stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic with ableism or disability-related discrimination. We further assessed the significance of these associations for variation by disability status in psychological well-being with a moderated mediation analysis. Study findings provide clear evidence that greater pandemic-related stressor exposure was associated with greater discrimination, which in turn increased the psychologically distressing aspects of the pandemic for people with disabilities relative to people without disabilities. This set of findings challenges us to think about how we engage in research concerning ableism and the proliferation of macro-level stressors such as those associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings also support the application of a minority stress model in addressing mental health contingencies among people with disabilities-in this case, in examining the pandemic's psychological impact.