Factors influencing the dementia care behavior of long-term care hospital nurses

Abstract

This is a descriptive research study for examining influencing factors on person-centered dementia care behaviors of nurses working in long-term care hospitals. In March 2021, data were collected from 13 care hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The subjects include a total of 180 long-term care hospital nurses who have the experience to care for elderly people with dementia. Descriptive statistical analysis, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé-test, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis of the data collected were conducted using IBM SPSS 25.0. The dementia care behaviors of long-term care hospital nurses had statistically significant correlations with caring efficacy (r=.49, p<.001), nursing professionalism (r=.43, p<.001) and job resources (r=.37, p<.001), and influencing factors on dementia care behaviors had the final explanation of 36.7% (adj R²=.367, F=14.253, p<.001). Ultimately, the most significant influencing factor on dementia care behaviors of long-term care hospital nurses was identified as nurses’ caring efficacy, followed by nursing professionalism, and nurses’ age and job resources. The higher the nursing professional intuition, the older the nurse's age, and the higher the job resource, the more important the person-centered dementia care behaviors. This study is meaningful in identifying the factors affecting person-centered dementia care behaviors of long-term care hospital nurses and providing basic data to improve dementia care behaviors.