Attitudes towards disability in an undergraduate nursing curriculum: a literature review

In the process of introducing a new disability unit into an undergraduate nursing curriculum in a New Zealand educational setting, the opportunity arose to conduct a small study comparing the attitudes of student nurses towards people with disabilities. This paper discusses the literature reviewed, which formed the basis for the study. A range of perspectives and research was identified that explored societal and nurses' attitudes, disability studies in undergraduate nursing curricula, the impact of nurses' attitudes on patient care, and interventions for changing those attitudes. Effective nursing care can be severely compromised through negative attitudes, and concerns are expressed at the lack of attention given to this issue in nursing curricula generally. The literature showed that combining educational approaches with opportunities for student nurses to interact with disabled people provides the most effective means for student nurses to develop positive attitudes towards disabled people. The goal for nurse educators is to ensure the inclusion of disability studies as a core component in undergraduate nursing education.