Knowledge and attitudes towards patients with Alzheimer's disease across different educational levels of nursing and in different care settings: A cross-sectional study

Aim: To evaluate Alzheimer's disease (AD) knowledge and attitudes among Israeli nursing students and nurses with different educational backgrounds working in varied geriatric settings Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) management and treatment relies on multidisciplinary care, providing comprehensive treatment to these patients. Nurses are vital to treatment provision. However, less nursing students are expressing interest to work with the geriatric population, including those with dementia. Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Methods: Participants were 231 nursing students and nurses of various educational backgrounds and from varied geriatric settings. Study measures included sociodemographic characteristics, the Alzheimer's disease Knowledge Scale, and the Dementia Attitude Scale. Participants were recruited via social media, nursing administrations in medical facilities, and snowballing methods. Overall scores by educational background and correlations between the measures and select sociodemographic variables were evaluated. Results: The overall knowledge and attitudes towards dementia among Israeli nurses is moderate to high. The mean knowledge score was 23.32/30. The highest scores (for knowledge and attitude) were found among geriatric nurse practitioners. The lowest knowledge scores were found among registered nurses without a degree, while the lowest attitude scores was found among nursing students. Conclusions: Despite relatively high scores, there is still a need to minimize the gap in specific knowledge and attitude domains. There is a need for domain-specific training, such as risk factors related to dementia, and providing nurses of all educational backgrounds with the tools they need to feel comfortable in caring for AD patients.