Volume 6, Issue 4 (Autumn 2020)                   JCCNC 2020, 6(4): 289-296 | Back to browse issues page


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1- Department of nursing, School of Nursing, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
2- Department of nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran. , mehrisaid338@gmail.com
3- Department of nursing, Iranian Research Center of Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
4- Department of psychology, School of Education and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract:   (1847 Views)
Background: As the number of elderly people referred to hospitals increases, so does the number of discrimination reports in the care of the elderly, compared with younger people. This study aimed to investigate the status of ageism in caring for elderly patients from nurses’ perspective.
Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted in three selected hospitals of Ardabil province, Iran, in 2019. A total of 482 nurses were recruited by convenience sampling. The data were collected using a demographics questionnaire and the Ageism Scale in Hospital Care and analyzed using descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (the Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Scheffe post hoc test) in SPSS V. 20.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 33 years. Most nurses showed moderate ageism when providing care to older adults. The level of ageism was significantly associated with age (P=0.002), gender (P=0.001), work experience (P=0.032), and the ward in which the nurses worked (P=0.001)
Conclusion: The findings revealed that the study hospitals suffered ageism. Also, the level of ageism was associated with the age, gender, admission ward, and work experience of the nurses. Thus, it is suggested to consider appropriate interventions to prevent ageism, when designing and planning care for older adults.
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● This study showed the existence of ageism in older adult care.
● The level of ageism was associated with age, gender, work experience, and the ward in which the nurses worked.
● The results of the study have important implications for further research and suggest the development of interventions to decrease ageism in practice.
Plain Language Summary 
Ageism is defined as discrimination due to age in the provision of care to the elderly. Evidence shows that caregivers are unaware of their discriminatory treatment of the elderly. The evaluation of care by the care provider system positively impacts the acceptance and provision of qualified caregiving to older people. Thus, it is important to determine the status of ageism in caring for elderly patients, in hospitals, in the Iranian context. Nurses in this study showed a discriminatory view in providing care for the elderly. Moreover, the discriminatory view was related to the age, gender, work experience, and the ward in which the nurses worked.

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Received: 2021/01/13 | Accepted: 2021/01/25 | Published: 2020/11/1

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