Score in the Palmore's Aging Quiz, knowledge of community resources and working preferences of undergraduate nursing students toward the elderly in Hong Kong

Abstract

Health care professionals are the gate-keepers for elderly health information. Unfavorable attitude to the elderly posts an obstacle to health information delivery. Therefore, it is vital to identify the knowledge and attitude of nursing students toward working with the elderly. The present study aimed to examine the knowledge and working preferences toward the elderly among undergraduate nursing students in Hong Kong. Two hundred and sixty-nine students completed a questionnaire that incorporated 70 questions in the Palmore's Aging Quiz and 10 questions reflecting the knowledge on local community resources for the elderly. The results revealed that nursing students generally have a neutral to positive working preferences toward the elderly. 83% of them gained a mean Palmore's score of 40.90 out of 70 (SD = 5.02) and good knowledge of the community resources (mean score = 8.49, SD = 1.85). Those who disliked working with the elderly had a significantly lower mean Palmore's score (F = 7.73, p = 0.001). Though the level of study had a positive correlation with the knowledge of community resources, it did not increase with Palmore's score. Further research on the study results and more detail examination of geriatric education for nursing students to refine their attitude toward the elderly are recommended. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.