Nursing assistant’s knowledge, attitude and training demands toward urinary incontinence in nursing homes: A mixed methods study

Abstract

Background: Urinary incontinence is an increasingly common problem, especially the older people. Nursing assistants are the main force in nursing homes. Their knowledge and attitude about urinary incontinence is attracting considerable critical attention. However, most previous studies have focused on nurses in hospital. This study set out to figure out the nursing assistants’ training needs concerning urinary incontinence.Methods：We conducted a two-part mixed-methods study. A survey on the knowledge and attitude of nursing assistants about urinary incontinence was undertaken (n=509). Then, semi-structured interviews were used to elicit detail training demands (n=40). Results：In general, urinary incontinence knowledge was poor (14±4.18), while attitudes were mostly positive (35.51±3.19). The nursing assistants are very interested in learning more about urinary incontinence. The variety of preferred learning methods emphasizes the need for diversified educational materials.Conclusions：Urinary incontinence is an effective indicator of care quality in nursing homes. The managers should formulate targeted training courses and preferred training forms suitable for the nursing homes.