NURSES’ PERCEPTION REGARDING THE PROMOTION OF OLDER PEOPLE’S AUTONOMY AT COVID-19: A DESCRIPTIVE CORRELATIONAL STUDY

ABSTRACT

Objective: To identify and compare the perception of general care nurses and specialist nurses about the development of interventions promoting older people’s autonomy. Method: Descriptive- correlational, cross-sectional study. The Self-Assessment Scale for the Promotion of Older People’s Autonomy was applied to Portuguese nurses in September/October 2020. Results: The sample consisted of 356 nurses, specialists and general practitioners. All nurses had the perception of promoting older people’s autonomy, with less visibility in the development of interventions involving instrumental activities of daily living. Specialist nurses have a perception of more promotion of autonomy to older people through the development of physical and cognitive interventions (p<0.01), of interventions of instrumental activities of daily living (p<0.05), and in the training of the caregiver (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study allowed emphasizing the potential relevance of developing interventions that promote older people’s autonomy, as well as the importance of raising nurses’ awareness to carry them out. © 2021.