Perspectives of Hospitalized Older Patients About Practices of Intern Nurses
Belgüzar Kara1*, Elif Gök£e Tenekeci2, Elif Tuğba Sari3 and Şerife Bayraktar3
1Department of Internal Medicine Nursing, Gulhane School of Nursing, University of Health Sciences, Turkey
2Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Defence, Turkey
3Gulhane Education and Research Hospital, Turkey
Submission: May 05, 2017; Published: May 25, 2017
*Corresponding author: Belgüzar Kara, Department of Internal Medicine Nursing, Gulhane School of Nursing, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey, Email: sb.kara@mynet.com
How to cite this article: Belgüzar K, Elif G T, Elif T S, Serife B. Perspectives of Hospitalized Older Patients About Practices of Intern Nurses. JOJ Nurse Health Care. 2017; 1(4): 555568. DOI: 10.19080/JOJNHC.2017.01.555568
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to determine the views of hospitalized older patients about practices of intern nurses (fourth-grade nursing students) and their related factors.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among 70 adults aged 65 years or older hospitalized for different reasons in a tertiary hospital in Turkey. Data were collected by using a questionnaire form including socio demographic characteristics and the views about the intern nurses. Data analysis were conducted using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test.
Result: The majority of the older patients reported that the intern nurses got into communication with them and helped them to feel better (92.4%) and the intern nurses respected for their privacy (86.9%). Some older patients (35.7%) reported that they would be worried if the intern nurses perform invasive interventions. The patients who perceived support for themselves and their caregivers from intern nurses were more likely to be aged 75 years or older (x2 = 20.01, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The results of the study showed that intern nurses mostly communicated with their older patients, informed them concerning the applications to be performed and respected their privacy. A better understanding of the views of hospitalized older patients about practices of intern nurses would help to develop effective interventions.
Short Communication
According to the estimates of the World Health Organization [1], the number of people aged 65 or older is projected to reach 1.5 billion (or 16.0 % of the world's population) by 2050, compared with 524 million (or 8.0% of the world's population) in 2010. Within this context, it is very important to provide comprehensive healthcare services for older adults. On the other hand, in-hospital risk factors such as low mobility, suboptimal continence care, and low nutrition consumption are related to functional decline at discharge and at 1-month follow-up in older adults hospitalized for nondisabling conditions [2]. Therefore, nurses play a key role in caring for older patients and their families [3-6]. However, studies have demonstrated that some undergraduate nursing students hold negative attitudes toward older adults [7,8]. To our knowledge, few studies have investigated how older patients perceived the care received from undergraduate nursing students in hospitals. This study aimed to determine the views of hospitalized older patients about practices of intern nurses (fourth- grade nursing students) and their related factors.
This cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2014 and May 2014. A convenience sample of hospitalized older patients was recruited from a tertiary hospital in Turkey. Patients aged 65 years or older, provided with the service by the intern nurses, hospitalized for at least 2 days, and those who were able to communicate in Turkish were included in this study. Patients with major psychiatric disease and cognitive impairment, and those with clinical instability were excluded from the study. Of the 110 eligible older patients, 70 (58.6% female) agreed to participate (response rate: 63.6%). This study was approved by the Hospital Ethical Committee, and written informed consents were obtained from participants before their enrollment. Data were collected by using a questionnaire form including socio demographic characteristics and the views about the intern nurses that was developed based on a comprehensive review of the literature. Data analysis were conducted using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
The mean age of the patients was 72.6±6.2 years (range = 65-88). Most of the patients were graduated from primary and secondary school (57.1%) and high school (22.9%). Forty nine hospitalized surgical patients (70.1%) and twenty one medical patients (29.9%) enrolled this study. The majority of the older patients reported that the intern nurses got into communication with them and helped them to feel better (92.4%) and the intern nurses respected for their privacy (86.9%). Interestingly, some older patients (35.7%) reported that they would be worried if the intern nurses perform invasive interventions such as intravenous cannulation or taking a blood sample. It was found that most of them (85.7%) would not feel uncomfortable to be provided with service by the intern nurses when they apply to the hospital next time. The patients who perceived support for themselves and their caregivers from intern nurses were more likely to be aged 75 years or older (x2 = 20.01, p < 0.001).
The results of this study indicated that intern nurses mostly communicated with their older patients, informed them concerning the applications to be performed and respected their privacy. In order to decrease the concerns of the older patients caused by the invasive interventions of the intern nurses, it might be suggested to increase the applied training opportunities and to perform these applications under the supervision of clinic nurses. A better understanding of the views of hospitalized older patients about practices of intern nurses would help to develop effective interventions.
Acknowledgment
The authors thank all the patients who participated in this study.
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