Nurses knowledge and attitude towards care of older patients: A cross-sectional study

The older adult population is very vulnerable and access health care frequently because of their changing needs. Additionally, nurses are the main carers of the older population when they visit the hospital. It is said that individual beliefs and values influence how we perceive and act towards the older population. This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude of nurses towards older adults. The knowledge and attitude of nurses towards the care of older adults has not been studied in Ghana. Hence a survey study was conducted among 40 nurses who had enrolled on a Bachelor of Nursing program using the Fact on Aging Quiz 1, and Kogan's Attitudes toward Old People Scale from 25th July to 8th August 2019. Results of the study show that even in a country with reverence for older adults and recognised family bonds, poor knowledge and attitudes of nurses toward older adults can affect the quality of health care provided. These findings have implications for nursing education, and clinical practice. Changes across these sectors based on the findings may contribute to improving the quality of health care older adults receive.