Nurses' attitudes towards biotechnology

During the Covid-19 epidemic, the importance of biotechnology in the field of health has emerged. Biotechnological developments have greatly expanded the diagnosis and treatment possibilities of diseases. Nurses who can follow these developments and renew themselves will be able to continue their existence effectively by providing better quality and comprehensive patient care and gaining new roles within the healthcare team. For nurses to gain new roles and make greater contributions to their profession, their attitudes towards biotechnology must first be known. The aim of this study, it is to examine the attitudes of nurses towards biotechnology. The research sample consisted of 238 nurses working at Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine Hospital. Data were collected with the Biotechnology Attitude Scale. Quantitative data were analyzed using statistical package program. Nurses' attitudes towards biotechnology were analyzed using standard deviation, t-test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and ANOVA (one-way analysis of variance) techniques, and Scheffe test was applied to determine the groups that caused significant differences in ANOVA test. According to the information obtained from the study, it was found that the general biotechnology attitude of women was statistically significantly higher compared to men. It was observed that nurses' attitudes towards biotechnology increased statistically significantly as their educational level and professional experience increased. According to the unit of employment, nurses' attitudes towards general biotechnology, various applications of biotechnology, ethical problems arising from biotechnological vii applications and biotechnological applications in the field of health were found to differ statistically significantly. It was found that the nurses' attitudes towards general biotechnology, consumption of genetically modified foods, various applications of biotechnology and ethical problems caused by biotechnological applications differed statistically significantly according to the position worked. It was found that nurses in charge of education had higher attitudes towards biotechnology. The general biotechnology attitude of nurses who took biotechnology courses during the education process was found to be statistically significantly higher. Nurses whose biotechnology information sources were magazines, newspapers and books had higher attitudes towards biotechnology. Since nurses' attitudes towards biotechnology play an important role both in their professional practices and in the quality of care of patients, it is recommended that current biotechnology topics and achievements be included in the education and study process.