Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Hospital Nurses Caring for Older People During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Tanzania
Abstract:
Introduction: Nurses have a role in providing quality care for older people with Covid-19 through their knowledge, and skills. We aimed to examine nurses’ knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) in caring for older people in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methodology: This study used a quantitative cross-sectional design. Simple random sampling was used to recruit nurses (N=379) working in COVID-19-designated departments at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) in Tanzania. Data were analysed using SPSS version 26. Pearson’s chi-square tests were used to ex amine relationships between KAP variables, and linear regression was used to test the correlations between KAP variables.
Results: The majority of participants had low knowledge (61.5%) and negative attitudes (63.9%) regarding caring for older people hospitalized with COVID-19, and around 20% had less effective practice. Chi-square tests between knowledge and practice and between attitude and practice which were 172.710a and 223.460a respectively indicated there was a strong relationship between the variables (P=0001). Regression analysis between knowledge and practice and between attitude and practice were 6.468 and 28.557 respectively which also revealed a strong correlation between these variables (r=1).
Conclusion: These results suggest that nurses need additional education to effectively care for elderly pa tients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Tanzania.
