2021 Volume 25 Issue 2 Pages 71-79
The purpose of this study was to investigate how several factors—nurses’ attributes and experiences, individual characteristics, and practice environments—relate to nursing practice for elderly patients with cognitive impairment with the aim of person-centered care on acute wards. A multiple regression analysis was performed on data obtained from a questionnaire administered to 329 nurses working in acute wards at general hospitals. The dependent variable was nursing practice for elderly patients with cognitive impairment and on acute wards. The independent variables were nurse attributes, experiences, individual characteristics, and practice environments. The results revealed seven factors which related to nursing practice :moral sensitivity, followed by the frequency of self-reflection on nursing practice, nursing practice environment, experience participating in dementia or delirium training or study groups, experience consulting with a professional team, Certified Nurse Specialist in Gerontological Nursing or Certified Nurse in Dementia Nursing, frequency of reflecting on their nursing care with others, and recognition of persons with dementia. These variables explained 30.7% of the variance. These findings suggest the necessity of improving the quality of nurses’ ethics education and encouraging nurses to continuously reflect on their level of motivation and nursing practice. Furthermore, it suggests the importance of managing the organizational work environment that supports nurses’ motivation and positive behaviors which allow them to demonstrate their professional abilities, as well as nurturing a supportive and caring culture.
