The Effect of a Geriatric Nursing Course on the Attitudes of Students towards the Elderly Discrimination: A Quasi-Experimental Study

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the effect of geriatric nursing course on the attitudes of students towards the elderly discrimination. Methods: The quasi-experimental study was completed with 43 senior nursing students who received geriatric nursing lesson between February 20th-May 20th 2019, and took part in the pretest-posttest application of the study. The data were collected via the student information form and Elderly Discrimination Attitude Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Paired Sample t-Test and Pearson’s Correlation Analysis. Results: Among students who participated in the study; 51.2% were in the age range of 22-25 years and 60.5% were female. It was stated that students’ total score average of the Elderly Discrimination Attitude Scale was 67.86 ± 6.22 pre-test and increased to 70.41 ± 6.48 post-test and the difference between was statistically significant (p<0.05). It was determined that there was a positively significant correlation between the elderly life limitation lower dimensions of students intending to work in geriatric departments after graduating and a negatively significant correlation between positive discrimination against the elderly lower dimensions (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was concluded that due to geriatric nursing course, students were able to utilize knowledge regarding elderly discrimination and their attitudes toward elderly discrimination developed positively. In order to develop nursing students’ thoughts about elderly discrimination positively, it can be recommended to include special branch nursing lessons like geriatric nursing in the curricula and to encourage students to participate in seminars, conferences and courses concerning the elderly.