The WHO recognizes Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias as a public health priority through the Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia 2017–2025, which aims to prevent it and enable people with dementia and their caregivers to live well and receive the care and support they need to develop their potential with dignity, respect, autonomy and equality.
Nurses play an important role in the care of both the patient and their caregivers and family members. Therefore, it is important that during university education they acquire the specific and necessary knowledge to provide quality care.
This study has evaluated the knowledge that nursing students at the universities of Jaén and Seville have about the care of this population group and explored which educational and sociodemographic factors are associated with the level of knowledge. The UJA Alzheimer’s Care scale was used for the study. This scale was created and validated in a previous investigation by our research team.
The study involved 678 nursing students and shows that students have a moderate level of knowledge about the care of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, similar to that of students in other countries. More than 80% of the students consider that their specific training on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is scarce or low, so it would be necessary to carry out specific training with a greater number of hours of practice in geriatrics and gerontology units to achieve a better preparation.
Considering the progressive aging of the population and the demand for high-quality care for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, it is important that nurses acquire during their university training adequate knowledge and skills to care for these patients and their families in the future. Therefore, we propose more learning hours and specific content to increase knowledge about the care of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
The full study can be read at: Parra-Anguita, L., P. A., López-Franco, M. D., Del-Pino-Casado, R., García-Fernández, F.P. & Pancorbo-Hidalgo, P. L. (2022). Undergraduate nursing students’ knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias care. Journal of Professional Nursing, 39, 101-108.
