Nurses’ and physicians’ perceptions of older people and attitudes towards older people: Ageism in a hospital in Turkey

Abstract

Nurses and physicians provide health care for a growing number of older people as a result of the rapid increase in the life expectancies of older people. Health professionals' negative attitudes towards older people affect the quality of health care offered to these individuals. The sample for this study included 110 nurses and 57 physicians working in the medical and surgical clinics of a university hospital. A questionnaire form and the Ageism Attitude Scale (AAS) were used to collect the data. A five-point Likert-type format was utilised for the AAS. The AAS total mean score was 80.02 ± 2.64 for nurses and 83.17 ± 9.09 for physicians. The difference between these mean scores was statistically significant (p < 0.05). For the AAS sub-dimension 'limiting the life of the older people,' the physicians' score (35.14 ± 6.22) was significantly higher than the nurses' score (33.22 ± 3.59). In this study, nurses' and physicians' attitudes, approaches, and considerations were found to be generally positive.

Health professionals’ knowledge and attitudes toward older people in primary care in Saudi Arabia

“…Although this study included only female nurses, the overall findings reported that their attitudes were positive 23. Likewise, the findings from Polat et al’s16 study showed that most nurses and physicians working in medical and surgical hospitals in Ankara, Turkey held positive attitudes toward older people. Coffey and Whitehead24 examined healthcare assistants’ attitudes toward older people in Ireland.…”

“…However, the small sample size of this study may have limited the power of the statistical measurements used 24. In addition, 2 studies reported no age-related differences in healthcare professionals’ attitudes toward older people 16,23. while age differences were not detected in 2 other studies 22,26…”

“…The Ageism Attitudes Scale (AAS), developed by Polat et al,16 demonstrated well-established validity and reliability in a Turkey study. The AAS measures social beliefs and perceptions about the social life of older people as well as social opinions and views toward older people 16.…”

“…The AAS measures social beliefs and perceptions about the social life of older people as well as social opinions and views toward older people 16. The AAS contains 23 statements, which are rated on a 5-point Likert scale 14.…”

“…Hweidi and Al-Hassan3 concluded that nurses’ marital status and family income were also not associated with their attitudes. Polat’s study showed that no significant differences were found between the attitudes and the marital status of nurses and physicians 16. Five of the selected studies explored ethnicity and culture as potential factors influencing attitudes towards older people.…”