Nursing students' attitudes toward persons who are aged: An integrative review

Abstract

Objectives: To analyze empirical studies from the United States and Canada to gain an understanding on how nursing education affects nursing students' attitudes toward persons who are aged.

Design: An integrative literature review was completed using Garrard's (2011) Matrix Method.

Data sources: Articles were identified through the electronic database search engines of CINAHL, Pub Med, and Academic Search Complete. Only peer reviewed research articles from 2009 to 2015 were reviewed.

Review methods: A review matrix was created to abstract information from 11 studies so that synthesis could occur. Information in the columns of the review matrix was used to compare the studies. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 27 item check list was used to help with reporting the findings. Studies were graded using the American Association of Critical Care Nurses' (AACN) level of evidence.

Results: A key finding is student engagement with gerontological content in the classroom or clinical setting results in improving nursing students' attitudes toward persons who are aged.

Conclusions: Several gaps exist in the literature. Further research including longitudinal studies and large scale, multi-site samples would add to the existing knowledge.

Keywords: Ageism; Aging; Attitude; Education, nursing; Health personnel; Students, nursing.