Willingness to care for older people and associated factors in pre-registered student nurses: A multi-country survey study.

BACKGROUND: Addressing nursing students' lack of interest in providing care for the aged population is a global challenge for nursing educators. Despite global interest in student nurses' readiness for older people care, almost all the literature has been identified from single countries, predominantly with high income per capita. At present, no study has been conducted to provide evidence-based data related to this topic from a multi-country perspective. OBJECTIVE: The study's purpose was to examine the willingness to work with older persons and associated factors among student nurses from nine countries (or regions). DESIGN: This study utilized a correlational and cross-sectional design. SETTINGS: This was a multi-country survey study conducted in China, Chile, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Greece, the State of Palestine (henceforth Palestine), the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia. PARTICIPANTS: 2250 baccalaureate nursing students were recruited from 10 universities in this study. METHODS: The survey that was used to collect data comprised four parts: socio-demographic data, attitude toward aging, older person care perception, and willingness to work with such group. RESULTS: Respondents in five regions (including Mainland China, Greece, Hong Kong, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia) stated that older persons were the least favored group for future career choices. In comparison with mainland China, respondents in Chile, India, and the Philippines were significantly more likely to be willing to care for older patients, but those in Egypt and Greece indicated a lower tendency to choose this option. Favorable attitudes toward aging and older person care perception were significantly associated with having the willingness to provide care to gerontologic patients in the future. CONCLUSIONS: Although attitudes toward aging and older person care perception have long been confirmed as important factors that are linked with willingness in caring for older people, this study adds that location is a more influential factor. Additional research in other countries is needed to advance the knowledge in this important area.

Factors Influencing Arab Nursing Students' Attitudes toward Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability and their Inclusion in Nursing Curricula.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the factors influencing the attitudes of Bachelor of Science in Nursing students toward climate change and environmental sustainability and the inclusion of these concepts in the nursing curricula of four Arab countries. METHOD: A convenience sample of 1,059 students from four Arab countries was surveyed using the Environmental Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey-2 (SANS-2) questionnaire in this descriptive-comparative study. RESULTS: The majority of the respondents exhibited positive attitudes toward the five items of SANS-2, with "Environmental sustainability is an important issue for nursing" receiving the lowest mean score and "Issues about climate change should be included in the nursing curriculum" receiving the highest mean score. Saudi students had more positive attitudes toward environmental sustainability in health care compared with students from Iraq, Egypt, and the Palestinian Territories. Country of residence, type of community, and knowledge about environmental issues and their impact on health in any nursing course were significant factors that influenced attitudes toward environmental sustainability. CONCLUSION: The inclusion of climate change and environmental sustainability in nursing curricula in the Arab region was emphasized by the findings. Including environmental sustainability practices in nursing education will help student nurses develop critical thinking and skills in the adaptive delivery of health care, especially when resources are scarce.

Knowledge of and attitudes toward climate change and its effects on health among nursing students: A multi-Arab country study.

BACKGROUND: Climate change and its impact on health continues to receive inadequate attention in the nursing literature, especially in the Arab region. This study explored the knowledge of and attitudes toward climate change and its effect on health among nursing students from four Arab countries. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience sample of 1,059 baccalaureate nursing students from four Arab countries using the New Ecological Paradigm scale and an adapted questionnaire. RESULTS: The findings indicate an average range of attitude toward the environment, with country of residence, type of community, academic-year level, and climate change related variables as significant factors influencing students' attitudes. A moderate level of knowledge about the potential health related impacts of climate change was revealed. Students from Saudi Arabia and Palestinian Territory reported a significantly higher level of knowledge than Egyptian and Iraqi students. Most of the respondents reported that all identified health related effects of climate change have already increased, while more than two-thirds reported that each of the health-related impacts would increase within the next 20 years. CONCLUSION: The findings underscore the need for more coverage of topics related to climate change and its health-related impacts in nursing education curricula in Arab countries.