SUNDOWNING: EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHING AMONG NURSING STUDENTS

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is a major public health issue that will increasingly affect the health and well-being of the population. Memory disorders will become conventional, and there is an increased need for excellent health care services for the aged population. Developing positive attitudes towards people with Alzheimer's disease is necessary yet challenging. Nursing care plays crucial role in providing care for geriatric patients at hospital, community and at home because of the effects of aging and multiple co-morbid medical conditions. In general, nursing students spend significant periods of time on clinical placements. Also evidence suggests that the health services in developing countries were not adequately prepared to provide better services for people with Alzheimer's disease related dementia. Objective. The study evaluated the nursing students' knowledge toward individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Methodology. The research design used for the study was a preexperimental one group pre-test post-test carried out with a randomly selected group of nursing students (N = 120) from Chennai, India. The study used the Alzheimer's disease Knowledge scale (30 questions). Results. The analysis of the study findings revealed that there is a significant difference in the level of knowledge scores between the master degree and post basic, bachelor degree students. The mean knowledge score was 75.5 ± 8.4 slightly higher compared to the students from post basic and bachelor degree students. Conclusion. The study concluded that the students had inadequate knowledge of Alzheimer's disease during the pre-test. However, they have some knowledge towards the same patients, giving way to improve their knowledge related to the disease after providing essential knowledge on the same. Thus, there is vital necessity to augment the nursing students study plan with respect to the content of the study and strengthen their knowledge of comprehensive care to individuals with Alzheimer's disease.