[Perception of practical skill and geriatric care knowledge among nurses working in a Swiss emergency department]

the Swiss demographics indicate an increase by 2020 in the proportion of people aged 65 and over. Impact is expected on the health system, including an increasing flow in the emergency services. Elderly patients often showing atypical symptoms, this can make more difficult the prioritization of the clinical problems.PPURPOSE measuring knowledge and skill perception regarding the geriatric approach among emergency nurses of a Swiss cantonal hospital. MMETHODS descriptive and correlational study using an electronic questionnaire previously translated into Swiss French and Swiss German using recommendations. RRESULTS the overall score in the knowledge test is considered low (51.9 SD ±12.5). The perception of practical skills is estimated at an average of 1.54 on a 3-pont scale, which can be interpreted at a level between medium and low. The correlations show weak associations between these small-scale scores and with the sociodemographic and professional characteristics chosen. CCONCLUSION nurses respondents show little geriatric nursing knowledge and consider their level of skills to be mid-range or low. This is definitely a challenge for training, coaching and research for advanced practice nurses in geriatric nursing.