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Acute‐care nurses’ attitudes towards older patients: A literature review
Author(s) -
Courtney Mary,
Tong Shilu,
Walsh Anne
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
international journal of nursing practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.62
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1440-172X
pISSN - 1322-7114
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-172x.2000.00192.x
Subject(s) - life expectancy , medicine , affect (linguistics) , isolation (microbiology) , perspective (graphical) , independence (probability theory) , acute care , older people , social isolation , nursing , health care , quality of life (healthcare) , gerontology , psychology , population , psychiatry , statistics , mathematics , environmental health , communication , artificial intelligence , computer science , economic growth , microbiology and biotechnology , economics , biology
With increases in life expectancy and increasing numbers of older patients utilising the acute setting, attitudes of registered nurses caring for older people may affect the quality of care provided. This paper reviews recent research on positive and negative attitudes of acute‐care nurses towards older people. Many negative attitudes reflect ageist stereotypes and knowledge deficits that significantly influence registered nurses’ practice and older patients’ quality of care. In the acute setting, older patients experience reduced independence, limited decision‐making opportunities, increased probability of developing complications, little consideration of their ageing‐related needs, limited health education and social isolation. Available instruments to measure attitudes towards and knowledge about older people, although reliable and valid, are outdated, country‐specific and do not include either a patient focus or a caring perspective. This paper argues for the development and utilisation of a research instrument that includes both a patient focus and a caring dimension.