The negative attitudes of nurses towards older patients in the acute hospital setting: A qualitative descriptive study

Abstract

The analysis of data with nurses reveals two themes and subthemes. 'Marginalisation and oppression of the older person' shows the ways in which nurses perceive older people are relegated to a lower status in the acute care setting, how this is 'contagious' and how 'lack of time' for care for older people is problematic and has become their 'catchcry'.'Stereotyping the older person' depicts some of the ways in which this evolves, for example, through 'Chinese Whispers' (UsingEnglish.com 2006), but has become part of the ageist culture.

Building and sustaining work engagement – a participatory action intervention to increase work engagement in nursing staff

“…Furthermore, Nolan and colleagues noted the continued existence of ageism, prejudice, and impoverished environments characterized by poor conditions, attitudes, and standards of care. Other reports have revealed similar findings (e.g., Cooper, Selwood, & Livingston, 2008;Hanson, 2014;Higgins, Der Riet, Slater, & Peek, 2007;Mullan, 2009), with further research pinpointing the negative impact of diminished resources on care for older people, highlighting the practical issues faced by nurses in these environments (Adibelli & Kılıç, 2013). Taken together, these reports suggest that working on wards where older people are cared for may be considered particularly difficult and challenging and be associated with low staff motivation and morale.…”

Can education change attitudes toward aging? A quasi-experimental design with a comparison group

“…[7,21] Given the opportunity to acquire knowledge about, gain experience with, and realize the importance of elder care, nursing students can replace negative attitudes with more objective (positive) views. The finding of a significant effect of the gerontology course on negative attitudes also supports the utility of the triadic theory of attitude [8] which states that objective knowledge and experience of the common phenomena of aging can change people's cognition and feelings.…”

“…[7,20] This situation is similar to reports regarding nurses working in acute or long-term care settings, who develop negative attitudes toward older patients. [6,20,21] Unfortunately, one report showed that nearly half of nursing students never received specific information about aging as part of their education. [22] Although American academic institutions made a decadelong, nationwide effort to improve gerontology competency in nursing curricula, [22] research in attitudes towards aging and the effect of gerontology education was limited during that time.…”

Factors associated with gerontological career choice: The role of curriculum type and students’ attitudes

“…This phenomenon has been documented in nurses working in acute or long-term care settings, who also develop negative attitudes toward older patients. [19,21] A key challenge in nursing curricula is how to provide educational experiences that promote positive attitudes, rather than reinforce negative stereotypes.…”