Presenter Information
Cassidy Kaczor, School of Nursing
Ashley McDanald, School of Nursing
Abstract
This study focused on exploring the knowledge, attitudes, and comfort level of undergraduate nursing students in caring for people with disabilities (PWD). Inclusion of disability content in nursing curricula is limited. Smeltzer and colleagues (2010) discovered an absence of disability-related content in pre-licensure nursing textbooks. PWDs have indicated four areas of concern regarding their care by nursing staff: poor communication, lack of competence, negative attitudes, and quality of care received. We hypothesized, if education on the health care of PWD and standardized patient experiences are implemented into nursing school curriculum then nursing students will have an increase in knowledge and an improved viewpoint in delivering equal care to all patients. A cross sectional mixed methods study was utilized. Participants completed both the pre- and post-survey of Nursing Students Attitudes Toward Persons with Disabilities Survey. Overall, data suggests that students reported an improved comfort level to work with people with disabilities in clinical setting and expressed a more positive impression of people with disabilities.
School
School of Nursing
Advisor
Dr. Rebecca Kronk PhD MSN CRNP FAAN CNE
Submission Type
Poster
Publication Date
May 2020
Included in
Understanding Nursing Students' Attitudes and Knowledge in Caring for People with Disabilities
This study focused on exploring the knowledge, attitudes, and comfort level of undergraduate nursing students in caring for people with disabilities (PWD). Inclusion of disability content in nursing curricula is limited. Smeltzer and colleagues (2010) discovered an absence of disability-related content in pre-licensure nursing textbooks. PWDs have indicated four areas of concern regarding their care by nursing staff: poor communication, lack of competence, negative attitudes, and quality of care received. We hypothesized, if education on the health care of PWD and standardized patient experiences are implemented into nursing school curriculum then nursing students will have an increase in knowledge and an improved viewpoint in delivering equal care to all patients. A cross sectional mixed methods study was utilized. Participants completed both the pre- and post-survey of Nursing Students Attitudes Toward Persons with Disabilities Survey. Overall, data suggests that students reported an improved comfort level to work with people with disabilities in clinical setting and expressed a more positive impression of people with disabilities.