Knowledge and attitudes of hospital personell toward older adults

The Facts on Aging Quiz was given to 693 hospital personnel to examine their knowledge of and attitudes toward older adults. Respondents 40 years of age and over had better knowledge scores than respondents 16-29 years old. Individuals with associate, baccalaureate or graduate degrees had higher knowledge scores than respondents with a high school education. Clinical employees and volunteers had higher knowledge scores than non-clinical employees. Approximately 25% of the hospital personnel exhibited a negative bias (i.e., attitude) toward older adults. Considering the health care utilization of older adults, it is important that all individuals working within a hospital environment exhibit knowledge of and appropriate attitudes toward them. Implications for gerontological education programs based on adult-learning techniques are noted.