"The supreme discipline of Nursing"-A qualitative content analysis of nurses' opinions on caring for people eighty years of age and older.

Introduction: Nurses often experience stress and feel under time pressure when working with older people, increasing their job dissatisfaction. Especially people 80 years of age and older often require more complex and a greater measure of care, as the risk of care dependency is higher in this age group. This study was conducted to collect nurses' experiences and opinions regarding the care of people 80 years of age and older, as well as to learn more about how nurses perceive this care. Method: We analysed narratives collected in an Austrian nationwide, cross-sectional online study to investigate nurses' attitudes towards people 80 years of age and older and their perceptions regarding their care (N = 1197). Data were collected from May-October 2021 by using a convenience sampling method. In total, 149 participants filled in the free text field; these texts were analysed using a qualitative content analysis method. Results: Three main themes emerged from the analysis of the nurses' narratives: (1) 'opinions on people in need of care', (2) 'reputation of nursing profession', and (3) 'criticism of current nursing practice'. Most narratives were assigned to the subthemes 'positive opinions on nursing', 'ideal image of nursing', and 'shortage of staff'. Conclusion: Nurses considered their work with people aged 80 years and older to be meaningful and important, but they criticised working conditions which need to be improved. This could be achieved by offering further education and increasing nursing staff. Further research is needed to investigate nurses' needs and wishes regarding the care of people aged 80 years and older.

Nurses' perspectives on caring for and attitudes towards adults aged eighty years and older.

BACKGROUND: Adults aged 80 years and older form a vulnerable group regarding perceived ageism, because they are often stereotyped as being frail and dependent. Nurses often display biased behaviour and hold negative attitudes towards this age group, due to the fact that they have frequent contact with patients who need complex care. As this frequent contact can negatively influence the quality of care, we performed this study to assess nurses' attitudes towards adults aged 80 and older and their views regarding their care, as well as to identify factors that influence attitudes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was used. A convenience sample of 1179 Austrian nurses was taken, and their attitudes were measured using the Ageing Semantic Differential (ASD) Scale. Their views on caring for older adults were assessed with the Perspectives on Caring for Older People (PCOP) Scale. Multiple linear regression was used to examine factors that influence nurses' attitudes. The Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Graz (EK Number 31-320 ex 18/19) gave their ethical approval for this study. RESULTS: Nurses display neutral to positive attitudes towards adults aged 80+ and view caring for them positively. Positive attitudes were indicated, for example, by the factors of a positive view towards the care of older patients, a higher education and a personal relationship with older adults. Negative attitudes were indicated by the factors of being female and interacting more frequently with older care receivers. CONCLUSIONS: Although the nurses' attitudes were not negative, they should be encouraged to view this patient population more positively. Educational interventions to alter nurses' attitudes and thus to improve the quality of care are recommended. As the ASD measures some aspects of ageism, it is recommended to consider qualitative methods in future studies to obtain a deeper knowledge of ageism in nursing care.

Prevalence of falls, incontinence, malnutrition, pain, pressure injury and restraints in home care: A narrative review.

Global demographic changes and the strategy of 'ageing in place' will increase the importance of home care in the future. To deliver safe and high-quality care, clinical data on nursing-sensitive indicators and transparency are needed. A comprehensive narrative review of the literature was conducted to describe the prevalence and incidence of nursing-sensitive indicators, namely, falls, incontinence, malnutrition, pain, pressure injury and restraints in home care. A literature search was carried out in May 2021 in PubMed and CINAHL, and 28 studies were included. Data were extracted using two extraction tables designed for this review. Prevalence and incidence rates varied widely and internationally within each indicator. The prevalence range for falls was 4.8%-48%; urinary incontinence, 33.7%-62.5%; malnutrition, 20%-57.6%; pain, 6.5%-68.5%; pressure injury, 16%-17.4% and physical restraints, 5%-24.7%. Due to various measurements and different instruments, the rates are not comparable. The use of standardised measurement and risk assessment tools to assess nursing-sensitive indicators in home care is needed to implement suitable interventions and to prevent these indicators.