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Original Research: Nurses' Self-Assessed Knowledge, Attitudes, and Educational Needs Regarding Patients with
Amanda Kratovil1, Monika S Schuler, Beth A Vottero
1Amanda Kratovil is an assistant professor of nursing and Beth A. Vottero is an associate professor of nursing at the College of Nursing, Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, IN. Monika S. Schuler is an associate professor at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts (UMass) Dartmouth. Gokarna Aryal is a professor of statistics at the College of Engineering and Sciences, Purdue University Northwest. Funding for this study was provided through UMass Dartmouth's University-Industry Collaborative Seed Funding Program. Contact author: Amanda Kratovil, akratovi@pnw.edu . The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Nurses often have negative attitudes toward patients with substance use disorder (SUD), impacting care. Empathy-based education, particularly face-to-face training from specialists, is crucial to improve nurses' SUD care and attitudes.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Addiction Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Substance use disorder (SUD) is a chronic illness frequently met with stigma, leading to disparities in care.
- Previous research indicates nurses often feel unprepared and hold negative attitudes towards patients with SUD.
- Gaps exist in understanding effective educational strategies and attitude variations across nursing practice settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore nurses' self-assessed knowledge and attitudes regarding the care of patients with SUD in US hospital settings.
- To identify nurses' educational preferences and needs for improving SUD care.
- To examine potential variations in attitudes based on practice setting and nurse demographics.
Main Methods:
- An observational, cross-sectional, mixed-methods study was conducted using online surveys distributed via Facebook.
- Data were collected from 691 nurses across US hospital settings using the Drug and Drug Problems Perceptions Questionnaire and open-ended questions.
- Quantitative data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey tests, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis.
Main Results:
- Nurses reported a desire for additional face-to-face education from mental health specialists.
- Nurses in mental health units and older nurses demonstrated significantly more positive attitudes toward patients with SUD.
- Qualitative themes included unmet educational needs, the influence of personal experiences and beliefs, and judgmental attitudes.
Conclusions:
- Hospital nurses generally exhibit negative attitudes towards patients with SUD, highlighting a need for improved care strategies.
- Empathy-based nursing education, delivered face-to-face by SUD specialists, is recommended to enhance nurses' attitudes and patient care.
- Prioritizing updated, empathy-focused education for newer nurses is essential given the rising prevalence of SUD.
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