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Emergency nurses attitudes towards older people in the emergency department: a cross-sectional study
Debra Deasey1, Ashley Kable1, Sarah Jeong1
1a School of Nursing and Midwifery , University of Newcastle , University Drive, Callaghan , NSW 2308 , Australia.
Aim:
To report nurses' attitudes towards older people in the emergency department (ED).
Background:
A nurse's attitude towards an older person can have an effect on nurses' work practices and interactions and can result in adverse outcomes for the older person.
Design:
A national cross-sectional survey using a previously validated instrument Older Person in Acute Care Survey (OPACS) was conducted to measure emergency nurses' attitudes towards older people in their care.
Methods:
Members of the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia (CENA) were invited to participate in the study. There were 371 (39%) completed surveys returned.
Results:
The OPACS survey identified that ED nurses have positive attitudes towards older people in the ED.
Conclusion:
The implications for practice are clinically significant because positive attitudes can result in prevention of discrimination and marginalisation of the older person in the ED.
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