Abstract
AimTo assess the internal reliability and validity (content and criterion) of the Older Patients in Acute Care Survey (OPACS) as a measure of nurses’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding care of older hospitalized patients in Australia.DesignCross‐sectional survey.MethodA convenience sample of final year nursing students at an Australian university in October 2014 completed the OPACS (N = 191). Internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, content validity using exploratory factor analysis and criterion validity using correlations between the OPACS and Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz and the Caring Efficacy Scale.ResultsDespite good internal reliability on both OPACS subscales, exploratory factor analysis of the 36 items representing behaviours and the 50 items on knowledge and attitudes failed to load strongly on their corresponding factors. Analyses of criterion validity suggested the OPACS scales are measures of attitude.
Highlights
Nurses’ knowledge, skills and attitudes are critical in determining how physical, psychological and emotional care are provided to older people, who are the largest patient group in most hospital en‐ vironments (Rana & Upton, 2013)
This study investigated the adequacy of the Older Patients in Acute Care Survey (OPACS) among final year Australian Bachelor of Nursing (BN) students to determine its potential for use in future studies as a measure of new graduates’ preparedness to care for older patients
The current study found acceptable internal reliability for the three OPACS subscales, measured using Cronbach's alpha
Summary
Nurses’ knowledge, skills and attitudes are critical in determining how physical, psychological and emotional care are provided to older people, who are the largest patient group in most hospital en‐ vironments (Rana & Upton, 2013). Hospitals practise the traditional medical model of care, focusing on the medical diag‐ nosis of the patient and overlooking the specific functional needs of older patients (Asmus‐Szepesi et al, 2015; Buurman et al, 2011) These issues may challenge and frustrate nurses’ attempts to pro‐ vide care for older patients in a hospital system that is not designed to manage their complex needs (Dahlke et al, 2015). There remains a dearth of studies designed to investigate the at‐ titudes (and the associated factors) of student nurses regarding older people (Liu, While, Norman, & Wenqin, 2012). One reason for this is the lack of suitable tools to measure ageism in nurses in the hospital sector. This study investigated the adequacy of the OPACS among final year Australian BN students to determine its potential for use in future studies as a measure of new graduates’ preparedness to care for older patients
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