Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
International Journal of Caring Sciences , cilt.16, sa.2, ss.859-867, 2023 (Hakemli Dergi)
Abstract
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) has become an increasingly important public health problem in
recent years. Although AD is a prevalent disease, inadequate knowledge and awareness about the disease
in the society and among the healthcare professionals complicates the early diagnosis of the disease. The
limited number of studies reported that healthcare professionals had inadequate knowledge and
awareness levels in AD.
Objective: The present study aimed to determine the knowledge levels of nurses, undergraduate nursing
students and geriatric healthcare students about AD.
Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted with 557 nursing and geriatric healthcare
undergraduate students and 99 nurses. The data was collected with demographic questions and
Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). To determine the differences based on the
sociodemographic properties in statistical analysis, t test and One Way ANOVA were applied to
numerical variables in the independent groups.
Results: The knowledge on AD was moderate. The knowledge of those who attended AD training was
higher, and Alzheimer's knowledge varied based on attendance in AD training. The presence of an
individual or individuals with AD in the family did not have an impact on ADKS.
Conclusion: Early diagnosis and treatment, care, accurate guidance and counseling are among the
primary roles and responsibilities of healthcare students and health professionals in AD. The findings
clearly demonstrated that the AD knowledge levels should be improved. Further inclusion of AD in the
curricula, improvement of the time devoted to theoretical instruction and clinical practice and time spent
with individuals with AD could lead to effective outcomes.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, nurses, healthcare students, Alzheimer's disease knowledge