Examination of surgical nurses' perception of aging and their attitudes towards elderly patients

Purpose: It was conducted to examine the perceptions of aging of nurses working in surgical units and their attitudes towards elderly patients. Materials and Methods: This research was conducted with nurses working in surgical units (n=202) at Manisa Celal Bayar University Hafsa Sultan Hospital between 10 September 2023 and 10 February 2024. The data of the study were collected using the Nurse Information Form, Kogan Attitude Scale towards the Elderly and the Attitude Scale towards Aging and Old Age. Results: The average age of nurses is 31.41±6.13, 57.9% are 31 years old and under, 63.9% are women, 61.4% are married, 74.7% have a bachelor's degree, 37% are It was found that 1 of them had worked in the profession for 11-20 years. The nurses' average YKÖ score was found to be 96.53±12.90. Nurses' YYYTÖ mean score is 145.55±24.73, difficulty in accepting old age sub-dimension mean score is 38.71±8.25, social wear-out perception sub-dimension mean score is 46.71±8.14, difficulty in coping with life sub-dimension mean score. The mean score of the negative image subscale was determined as 35.03±6.74, and the mean score was 25.08±4.49. The average score of the Attitudes Towards the Elderly Scale of surgical nurses living in a nuclear family was found to be higher than the average score of surgical nurses living with roommates or extended family (p <0.05). It was found that there was a significant difference between the nurses' ages and the average score of the difficulty in accepting old age subscale (p<0.05), and the average scores were lower in surgical nurses over 31 years of age. Conclusion: As a result of the research, it was determined that surgical nurses' views on old age and aging affected their attitudes towards the elderly. It has been observed that surgical nurses' views on old age and aging are negative and their attitudes towards the elderly are positive. It is recommended to increase training on old age and aging, with the idea that increasing the knowledge level of surgical nurses on old age and aging will improve their views on old age and aging and thus make their attitude towards the elderly more positive. Keywords: Surgical nursing, perception of old age, attitude towards elderly patients, perspective on aging, elderly patients