Institute of Nursing Science, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Scand J Caring Sci. 2023 Jun;37(2):458-471. doi: 10.1111/scs.13127. Epub 2022 Nov 9.
Adults aged 80 years and older form a vulnerable group regarding perceived ageism, because they are often stereotyped as being frail and dependent. Nurses often display biased behaviour and hold negative attitudes towards this age group, due to the fact that they have frequent contact with patients who need complex care. As this frequent contact can negatively influence the quality of care, we performed this study to assess nurses' attitudes towards adults aged 80 and older and their views regarding their care, as well as to identify factors that influence attitudes.
A cross-sectional study design was used. A convenience sample of 1179 Austrian nurses was taken, and their attitudes were measured using the Ageing Semantic Differential (ASD) Scale. Their views on caring for older adults were assessed with the Perspectives on Caring for Older People (PCOP) Scale. Multiple linear regression was used to examine factors that influence nurses' attitudes. The Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Graz (EK Number 31-320 ex 18/19) gave their ethical approval for this study.
Nurses display neutral to positive attitudes towards adults aged 80+ and view caring for them positively. Positive attitudes were indicated, for example, by the factors of a positive view towards the care of older patients, a higher education and a personal relationship with older adults. Negative attitudes were indicated by the factors of being female and interacting more frequently with older care receivers.
Although the nurses' attitudes were not negative, they should be encouraged to view this patient population more positively. Educational interventions to alter nurses' attitudes and thus to improve the quality of care are recommended. As the ASD measures some aspects of ageism, it is recommended to consider qualitative methods in future studies to obtain a deeper knowledge of ageism in nursing care.
80 岁及以上的成年人是感知年龄歧视的弱势群体，因为他们常常被刻板地认为身体虚弱且依赖他人。护士经常对这个年龄段的人表现出有偏见的行为和持有消极的态度，因为他们经常与需要复杂护理的患者接触。由于这种频繁接触可能会对护理质量产生负面影响，因此我们进行了这项研究，以评估护士对 80 岁及以上成年人的态度，以及他们对这些患者护理的看法，并确定影响态度的因素。
采用横断面研究设计。我们抽取了 1179 名奥地利护士作为便利样本，使用年龄语义差异量表（Ageing Semantic Differential，ASD）来衡量他们的态度。使用老年人关怀观点量表（Perspectives on Caring for Older People，PCOP）来评估他们对照顾老年人的看法。使用多元线性回归来检验影响护士态度的因素。格拉茨医科大学伦理委员会（EK Number 31-320 ex 18/19）对这项研究给予了伦理批准。
护士对 80 岁及以上成年人持中立到积极的态度，并对照顾他们持积极的看法。积极的态度表现在例如对老年患者护理的积极看法、更高的教育水平和与老年人的个人关系等因素上。消极的态度表现在女性和与老年护理接受者更频繁地互动等因素上。
尽管护士的态度并非消极，但应鼓励他们更积极地看待这一患者群体。建议开展教育干预措施来改变护士的态度，从而提高护理质量。由于 ASD 测量了年龄歧视的某些方面，因此建议在未来的研究中采用定性方法，以更深入地了解护理中的年龄歧视。
