Nurses' educational preparation and attitudes toward cost containment

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Health Economics

Background:

• Understanding nurses' attitudes toward cost-effectiveness is crucial for implementing healthcare cost-containment strategies.
• Educational preparation may influence nurses' perspectives on resource allocation and financial stewardship in patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between nurses' highest educational nursing preparation (diploma, ADN, BSN) and their attitudes toward cost-effectiveness.
• To compare the attitudes toward cost-containment among nurses with different educational backgrounds.

Main Methods:

• A convenience sample of 65 staff nurses from operating room and intensive care units participated.
• Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and one-way and two-way analyses of variance.
• The Blaney/Hobson Nursing Attitude Scale was used to measure attitudes toward cost-effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Mean attitude scores were 69.90 for Associate Degree Nurses (ADN), 76.65 for diploma-prepared nurses, and 81.27 for Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates.
• Diploma- and BSN-prepared nurses demonstrated significantly more favorable attitudes toward cost-containment than ADN-prepared nurses (p = .05).

Conclusions:

• Higher levels of nursing education (diploma and BSN) are associated with more positive attitudes toward cost-effectiveness in nursing practice.
• Educational preparation is a significant factor influencing nurses' views on healthcare cost-containment.
• Findings suggest a need to consider educational background when developing and implementing cost-effective nursing interventions.