A Survey Of Chinese Nurses' Knowledge On Deconditioning In Hospitalized Older Adults

Nurses play an important role in identifying and minimizing patient deconditioning related to hospitalization of older patients.International researchers have investigated the extent to which nurses are able to prevent deconditioning from occurring and to respond competently when deconditioning has occurred,however there is scant research on this issue in China.The study aimed to investigate the current status of nurses' deconditioning knowledge and its management among Chinese nurses with different background information;and to identify the predictor(s)of nurses' level of knowledge about deconditioning.A cross-sectional survey was done with nurses recruited from four hospitals in the central region of China.The Nurses' deconditioning Knowledge questionnaire(Chinese version)and a background information form were administered and collected.In all,836 questionnaires were distributed and 507 valid questionnaires(60.6%)were returned.The range of correct answers for each item was 2.6%to 99.6%while the average correct answer rate was 70.97%.Stepwise regression results indicated that nurses with higher scores had more than ten years of clinical working experience,had a master or higher degree,and worked in a university-affiliated teaching hospital.The results strongly indicate a significant knowledge deficit regarding nurses'knowledge of deconditioning and its management and supports the recommendation that basic and continuing education for Chinese nurses about deconditioning of older patients within hospital settings needs to be enhanced.