Hospitalised people with dementia in Saudi Arabia: A mixed method study on nurses working in acute hospital setting

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Sara Mahmoud Yaghmour

Faculty of Nursing, King Abdulaziz University, KSA

: Int J Ment Health Psychiatry

Abstract

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Background: People with dementia in Saudi Arabia are being treated in acute hospital settings Nurses were not sufficiently provided with specific knowledge of dementia in their training. This was especially reflected in nurses working in the acute settings due to poor nurse education.

Aim: This study aimed to explore registered nurses' knowledge, attitudes and perceptions toward people with dementia in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia using survey questionnaire and diary-interview methods.

Method: The study surveyed Nurses (n=705) in the Hijaz region using the tested Dementia Attitude Scale and Dementia Knowledge Assessment Tool version 2. Of those (n=17) nurses completed a diary and follow up interview.

Results: There is a lack of training and insufficient nurse education which affects nurses’ knowledge on dementia. Results show a dearth of knowledge affects their attitudes and perception when caring for people with dementia. These results depict nurses that have low competency which affects their practices and inadvertently increases nurses’ burnout.

Conclusion: The study underpins the importance of nurses’ knowledge, attitudes and perceptions are important aspects of improving the quality of care for dementia care. Nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions have been shown to be gained through experience, though experience is also critical.

Biography

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Sara Mahmoud Yaghmour PGA, MAdvNur Edu, BSN, CerIII Aged care, RN Sara is a psychogeriatric nursing lecturer at King Abdulaziz University and now a PhD candidate at the University of Southampton. Currently, she is working on a project to investigate nurses' perception and learning needs when caring for people with dementia using a diary-interview method. Her research interests include nursing education, psychogeriatric nursing care, and people with dementia care. "I aim to be capable of developing and communicating new knowledge in psychogeriatric nursing through designing and carrying out high-quality research and training".

E-mail: smyaghmour1@kau.edu.sa