Knowledge of Staff Nurses on Management of Deconditioning in Older Adults: A Cross- Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: A significant issue facing today’s acute care nurse is the ability to respond to the rising number of older adults admitted to the hospital, while simultaneously preventing complications of hospitalization, specifically deconditioning. Objective: The aim of this paper was to examine knowledge of staff nurses on management of deconditioning in older adults, in Baguio- Benguet area in the Philippines. Methods: The study made use of cross- sectional design. Sampling technique used was total enumeration, where 130 out of 135 nurses met the inclusion criteria. A 65 item questionnaire was used in gathering data. Data was subjected to statistical treatment where T- test and F- test were used accordingly. Results: Number of years of nursing experience tends to deteriorate the staff nurses’ knowledge on deconditioning management. Hospital affiliation is a significant factor that affects the knowledge of staff nurses on deconditioning management. Continuing education improves the knowledge of staff nurses on deconditioning management. Conclusion: Study suggests that it is important to establish gerontology continuing education programs with a core component on deconditioning treatment and prevention to enhance nurses’ knowledge on management of deconditioning so as to improve the care provided to older adults.