Evaluation of Ageism Attitudes of Healthcare Practitioners Working in a University Hospital

Yıl 2020, Cilt: 3 Sayı: 1, 3 - 10, 30.04.2020

Azize Aydemir Derya Esenkaya

Öz

Aim: This descriptive study was conducted to determine the attitudes of healthcare practitioners working in a university hospital towards ageism.

Material and Methods: The study was performed between May and June 2019 in Yozgat Training and Research Hospital, where older adults in Yozgat Province were cared and monitored. A total of 200 healthcare practitioners who were not on leave during the study period were included. The participation rate was 93%. The ‘Health Care Practitioners Introductory Form’ and ‘Ageism Attitude Scale’(AAS) were used to collect data.

Results: Among the healthcare personnel, 127 (65.8%), 66 (34.2%) and 153 (79.3%)were female, male and nurses, respectively. Healthcare workers obtained a total score of 82.16 ± 9.33 from the Ageism Attitude Scale and 35.51 ± 5.22 from the restricting life of elderly as well as 28.70 ± 5.35 and 17.93 ± 3.52from the positive and negative ageism subscales towards the older population, respectively.

Conclusions: Healthcare practitioners working in the hospital had positive discrimination attitudes towards the older adults population, and 67.9% healthcare professionals wanted to receive training on older adults patient-care; the positive ageism subscale and total ageism attitudes scores of those who did not prefer to care for older patients were high. Thus, providing periodic training on geriatric issues through in-service training programmes for healthcare practitioners and opening more geriatric patient services can be recommended.

Anahtar Kelimeler

ageism, elderly, attitude

Üniversite Hastanesinde Çalışan Sağlık Bakım Uygulayıcılarının, Yaşlı Ayrımcılığı Tutumlarının Değerlendirilmesi

Öz

Amaç: Araştırma, üniversite hastanesinde çalışan sağlık bakım uygulayıcılarının yaşlı ayrımcılığına ilişkin tutumlarını belirlemek amacıyla tanımlayıcı olarak yapıldı.

Gereç ve Yöntemler: Araştırma, Yozgat ilinde, yaşlı hastaların bakım ve izleminin yapıldığı Yozgat Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesinde Mayıs–Haziran 2019 tarihleri arasında gerçekleştirildi. Araştırmaya araştırmanın yapıldığı tarihler arasında izinli veya raporlu olmayan ve gönüllü olan 200 sağlık bakım uygulayıcısı katıldı. Verilerin toplanmasında “Sağlık Bakım Uygulayıcılarının Tanıtım Formu” ve “Yaşlı Ayrımcılığı Tutum Ölçeği” kullanıldı.

Bulgular: Sağlık personellerinin 127’sinin (%65,8) kadın, 66’sının (%34,2) erkek; 153’ünün (%79,3) hemşire olduğu belirlendi. Sağlık çalışanlarının yaşlı ayrımcılığı tutum ölçeğinden toplam 82,16 ± 9,33 puan aldıkları, yaşlının yaşamını sınırlama alt boyutundan 35,51±5,22; yaşlıya yönelik olumlu ayrımcılık alt boyutundan 28,70±5,35; yaşlıya yönelik olumsuz ayrımcılık alt boyutundan 17,93±3,52 puan aldıkları belirlendi.

Sonuç: Hastanede çalışmakta olan sağlık bakım uygulayıcılarının yaşlılara karşı olumlu ayrımcılık tutumuna sahip oldukları, sağlık çalışanlarının %67,9’unun yaşlı hasta bakımı konusunda eğitim almak istedikleri ve yaşlı hasta bakmayı tercih etmeyenlerin olumlu ayrımcılık alt boyutu ve toplam ayrımcılık puanlarının yüksek olduğu belirlendi. Sağlık bakım uygulayıcılarına hizmet içi eğitim programlarıyla geriatriye ilişkin konularda periyodik eğitimler verilmesi ve geriatri servislerinin sayısının arttırılması önerilebilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Yaşlı ayrımcılığı, Yaşlı, Tutum

Kaynakça

• 1. Bleijenberg N, Jansen MJM, Schuurmans MJ. Dutch nursing students’ knowledge and attitudes towards older people a longitudinal cohort study. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice 2012; 2(2): 1-8. (DOI:10.5430/jnep.v2n2p1). 2. Bulut E, Çilingir D. Elderly discrimination and its effects on nursing care. TAF Preventive Medicine Bulletin 2016;15(5):446‐449. (DOI: 10.5455/pmb.1-1453803809). 3. Koç A, Öztaş D, Uysal N, et al. Thoughts and Attitudes of Clinical Nurses on Elderly People. Ankara Medical Journal 2018;(4):500‐507. (DOI: 10.17098/amj.498024). 4. Turkish Statistical Institute. Demographic indicators, [Internet] Available from: http://www.tuik.gov.tr/UstMenu.do?metod=temelist 2018 Accessed 05.05.2019. 5. Bulut E, Çilingir D. Attıtudes Of Surgıcal Nurses Towards The Elderly. Turkish Journal of Geriatric 2016;19(4). [Internet] Available from: http://www.geriatri.dergisi.org/uploads/pdf/pdf_TJG_959.pdf Accessed 05.06.2019.6. Westerhof GJ, Barrett AE. Age identity and subjective well-being: A comparison of the United States and Germany. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 2005;60(3), S129-S136. (PMID: 15860789)7. Ünalan D, Soyuer F, Elmalı F. Evaluation of the attitudes of the geriatric care center workers towards elderly patients. Kafkas Journal Med Sci 2012;2(3):115-120. (DOI: 10.5505/kjms.2012.15870). 8. Vefikulucay D, Terzioglu F. Development and psychometric evaluation of ageism attitude scale among the university students. Turkish Journal of Geriatrics 2011; 14 (3) 259-268. [Internet] Available from: http://geriatri.dergisi.org/uploads/pdf/pdf_TJG_594.pdf Accessed 08.05.2019. 9. Waterworth S, Gott M, Raphael D, et al. Working with older people with multiple long‐term conditions: a qualitative exploration of nurses' experiences. Journal of advanced nursing 2015;71(1), 90-99. (PMID: 25040364)10. Kagan S, Melendez‐Torres GJ. Ageism in nursing. Journal of Nursing Management 2015;23:644–650. (PMID: 24238082). 11. Liu YE, Norman IJ, While AE. Nurses’ attitudes towards older people: A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies 2013;50(9), 1271-1282. (PMID:23265870). 12. Naldan ME, Kara D, Soyalp C, Gürol A. Evaluation of healthcare workers at intensive care units towards aging. Medical Journal of Bakirkoy 2018;14(1). (DOI: 10.5350/BTDMJB.20161001124434). 13. Luo B, Zhou, K, Jin EJ, et al. Ageism among college students: acomparative study between U.S. and China. Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology 2013; 28, 49-63. (PMID: 23397227). 14. Lewis TT, Barnes LL, Bienias JL, et al. Perceived discrimination and blood pressure in older African American and white adults. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biomedical Sciences and Medical Sciences 2009;64(9), 1002-1008. (PMID: 19429703)15. Altay B, Aydın T. Evaluation of the Attitudes of Nursing Students towards Ageism. J Education and Res in Nurse 2015;12(1):11-18. (DOI:10.5222/HEAD.2015.011). 16. Kıssal A, Okan F. Attitudes of health care workers working at family health centers in tokat towards ageism. Turkey Journal of Family Practice 2018;22(4), 202-212. (DOI: 10.15511/tahd.18.00494). 17. Frost J, Ranse K. Assessing ageist behaviours in undergraduate nursing students using the Relating to Older People Evaluation (ROPE) survey. Australasian Journal on Ageing 2015;35 (1), 58-61. (PMID: 26631027). 18. Köse G, Ayhan H, Taştan S, et al. Determination of the attitudes of students from different de- partment in the field on health on the discrimination against the elders. Gulhane Med Journal 2015;57:145-151. (DOI: 10.5455/gulhane.152591). 19. Yılmaz E, Ozkan S. Attitudes of nursing students towards ageism. Maltepe University e-J Nurs Sci and Art 2010;3(2):36-53. [Internet] Available from: http://hemsirelik.maltepe.edu.tr/dergiler/cilt3sayi7/pdf/35-53.pdf Accessed: 12.07.2019. 20. van Leeuwen E, Oosterhuis M, Ruyter S. Anxiety and categorisation effects in student nurses' attitudes towards young and older patients: A dual pathway model. Nurse Education Today 2016;39, 170-175. (PMID: 27006052). 21. Polat Ü, Karadağ A, Ülger Z, Demir N. Nurses’ and physicians’ perceptions of older people and attitudes towards older people: Ageism in a hospital in Turkey. Contemporary Nurse 2015;48(1):88‐97. (PMID: 25410199). 22. Soyuer F, Ünalan D, Güleser N, Elmalı F. The Attitudes of Health Vocational School Students Towards Ageism and the Relation of These Attitudes with Some Demographical Variables. Mersin University Journal of Health Sciences 2010; 3(2). [Internet] Available from: http://www.mulkiyedergi.org/mersinsbd/article/view/5000035188. Accessed: 12.07.2019. 23. Güven ŞD, Muz GU, Ertürk NE. University Students' Attitudes Towards Elderly Discrimination And The Relationship Between These Attitudes And Some Variables. Anatolian Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences 2012;15(2), 99-105. [Internet] Available from: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/29600 Accessed: 12.04.2019. 24. Ünsar S, Erol Ö, Kurt S, et al. Evaluation of Ageism Attitudes of Nursing Students. Journal of Nursing 2015;1:12‐13. [Internet] Available from: https://docplayer.biz.tr/17223823-Hemsirelik-ogrencilerinin-yasli-ayrimciligina-iliskin-tutumlarinin-incelenmesi.html Accessed:15.06.2019. 25. Ceylan H, Öksüz M. Nalyzıng Attıtudes Of Undergraduate Socıal Work Students Towards Ageısm. Journal of International Social Research 2015;8(39). [Internet] Available from: http://www.sosyalarastirmalar.com/cilt8/sayi39_pdf/4sosyoloji_psikoloji_felsefe/ceylan_harun.pdf. Accessed: 29.08.2019. 26. McLafferty L, Morrison F. Attitude towards hospitalized older adults. J Adv Nurs. 2004;47:446-453. (PMID: 15271164). 27. Yazıcı SÖ, Kalaycı I, Kaya E, Tekin A. Attitudes of students studying in health related departments towards the elderly. Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 2016;15(2),601-614. [Internet] Available from: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/203248 Accessed: 16.05.2019. 28. Zehirlioğlu L, Yönt GH, Bayat E, Günay B. Determınatıon Of Nurses’ Attıtudes Towards The Old People And Effectıng Factors. Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Health Sciences Nursing E-Journal 2015;3(1):10-18. [Internet] Available from: https://docplayer.biz.tr/21195302-Hemsirelerin-yaslilara-yonelik-tutumlari-ve-etkileyen-faktorlerin-belirlenmesi.html Accessed: 16.05.2019.29. Gallagher S, Bennett KM, Halford JC. A Comparison of acute and long- term health-care personnel’s attitudes towards older adults. Int J Nurs Prac 2006;12:273-279. (PMID: 16942515).