Congress Abstracts 2004

274

AGEIST ATTITUDES AMONG NURSES: IMPLICATIONS FOR LONG-TERM NURSING CARE OF ELDER CLIENTS WITH CANCER. Karen Ann D, Anderson, PhD, RN, MSN, CDE, and Theresa W. Gillespie, PhD, BA, BSN, MA, RN, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

Problem and Purpose: Nurses bring with them into their profession a lifetime of cultural, familial, and perceptual attitudes regarding elder individuals with cancer. By the year 2012, over 15% of the U.S. population will be over the age of 65. A large percentage of nursing care will be focused on caring for the elderly, and a significant number of those elderly will be patients with cancer living in nursing homes. Generally, cultural perceptions in America have historically viewed aged individuals with a particular set of negative characteristics including frail, feeble-minded, useless, powerless, and even expendable. Data show that elderly patients with cancer are often treated with suboptimal therapy and are infrequently enrolled on clinical trials. Ageist attitudes foster stereotyping of elder clients that may have negative healthcare consequences over time. Thus, long-term nursing care for the elderly client with cancer calls for specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities to deliver care without prejudice. This study presents the following research questions: What are the views of nurses in nursing homes toward their elderly clients with cancer? How do ageist attitudes among nurses affect their care of elder clients with cancer in a long-term care environment?

Framework: Using a qualitative study approach and existing theoretical constructs in a phenomenological framework, nursing knowledge for evidenced-based practice would be gained.

Methods: A purposive sampling of a minimum of 10 accessible nurses working in long-term care with patients with cancer will be invited to participate. Data collection will consist of in-depth 90-minute interviews using open-ended questions.

Data Analysis: Data analysis will be performed until data saturation is gained. Themes derived from the narratives will be extracted and classified.

Implications and findings: The aim of this qualitative study is to uncover themes derived from the narratives that will provide insights into the construct of ageist attitudes among nurses through their lived experiences. Accordingly, these themes may provide nurse educators and managers the information needed to design interventions for nursing education and development based on enhanced understanding of the attitudinal dynamics of caring for elderly patients with cancer in a long-term care facility.