Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Care of Elderly Among Health Workers in Tertiary Health Facilities in Uyo Metropolis

Abstract

Elderly care emphasizes the social and personal requirements of senior citizens who need some assistance with daily activities and health care, but who desire to age with dignity. With increasing rate of elderly in the society, there have been insufficient healthcare services for the elderly. Most health workers have very poor knowledge of health conditions which are common with the elderly and this lack of adequate knowledge triggers negative attitude towards the care of the elderly likely to result in serious problems in our society in the near future. This study was conducted to examine the knowledge, attitude and practice of care of elderly among health workers in tertiary health facilities in Uyo Metropolis. Three specific objectives, three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive research design. The population of study consisted of 394 health workers. The sample of 241 health workers comprising of 27 doctors, 190 nurses, 10dentists and 14 Physiotherapist was determined using Taro Yamane and selected for the study using stratified sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire titled “Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Care of Elderly Questionnaire (KAPCEQ)”. The instrument yielded the reliability coefficient of 0.84. The data were collected by the researcher and four trained research assistants. Frequency and percentage were used for the answering of the research questions while chi-square was used for testing of null hypotheses at .05 level of significance. Findings of the study indicated that health workers had adequate knowledge of care of elderly, exhibit good attitude toward care of elderly and sometimes practice care of the elderly in tertiary health facilities in Uyo Metropolis. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommended among others that Hospital Management Board should develop a system of periodical health workers evaluation to determine strategies of upgrading health workers knowledge and enhancing practice of care of the elderly. Furthermore, Professional bodies in the health sectors should develop a follow up courses and in-service training programmes to maintain efficient performance of individuals previously trained in the care of the elderly.