Determination of surgical nurses' willingness to provide care to elderly patients and discrimination

Although the rates of surgical treatment among elderly individuals have been increasing in recent times, there is limited data regarding the willingness of surgical nurses working in surgical units to provide care to elderly patients and their discriminatory practices. This study aimed to determine the willingness of surgical nurses to provide care to elderly patients and their discriminatory tendencies. Ethical approval was obtained prior to the commencement of the research (Approval No: 2022/54). The study was conducted between August 15 and November 1, 2022, with nurses working in surgical units of hospitals in the province of Muş. It employed a descriptive and correlational design. A total of 200 volunteer nurses participated in the research. The Caregiving Willingness Scale for the Elderly and the Positive and Negative Ageism Scale were used for data collection. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 software. A significance level of p<0.05 was accepted for statistical analysis. The mean age of the nurses was 30.03±6.91, with 65% being female and 67.5% being bachelor's degree holders. The total mean score of the Caregiving Willingness Scale for the Elderly was 35.70±5.84. The Positive and Negative Ageism Scale had a mean score of 47.10±5.79 for the positive discrimination subscale and 38.48±4.87 for the negative discrimination subscale. When examining the relationship between the Caregiving Willingness Scale for the Elderly and positive/negative ageism, a moderate positive correlation was found with the positive discrimination subscale (r=0.375, p=0.001, p<0.05). However, when examining the relationship between the Caregiving Willingness Scale for the Elderly and positive ageism, a weak negative correlation was found, but it was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The findings of the research indicate that surgical nurses have a moderate level of willingness to provide care to elderly patients, but there is a moderate positive correlation with positive ageism. The research findings underscore the importance of developing awareness and educational programs to increase the willingness of surgical nurses working in surgical units to provide care to elderly patients and to reduce positive ageism.