Impact of settings and culture on nurses’ knowledge of and attitudes and perceptions towards people with dementia: An integrative literature review

Abstract

Background: Well-trained nurses are required to support dementia patients; however, the quality of the provided dementia nursing care can be impacted by nurses’ knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards people with dementia. Aim: To obtain an overview of the current nursing practice towards people with dementia around the world. Design: An integrated literature review was conducted based on Whittemore and Knafl's method. Results: A total of 72 articles met the inclusion criteria. Three main themes were identified: (1) nurses’ knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards dementia; (2) nursing experience of caring for people with dementia in acute and community care settings; and (3) dementia nursing care across health regions. Conclusion: Nurses play the role of facilitators in the efficient delivery of quality care for dementia patients. A variety of attitudes and perceptions towards people with dementia were found to be triggered by the severity of dementia, religion, ethnicity and gender. Implications for practice: Healthcare organisations and educational settings need to coordinate and function together to improve nurses’ knowledge and encourage positive attitudes towards people with dementia.