Knowledge, Attitudes, and Self-Efficacy in Dementia Care Among Nurses in Two Health Institutions in Metro Manila

Abstract

The number of people with dementia in the Philippines is rising rapidly. This means that the healthcare workforce, most specifically nurses, must be prepared to take care of this patient group in hospital settings. Increasing the self-efficacy of nurses might improve patient outcomes and quality of care for PwD and their families. The purpose of this study is to determine the knowledge and attitudes of Filipino nurses towards dementia care and their influence on self-efficacy. A total of 182 registered nurses from a private and a public hospital in the Philippines were recruited for the study. Their levels of knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy on dementia care were measured.

Filipino nurses have inadequate knowledge, positive attitudes, and a high level of self-efficacy in dementia care. Correlation statistics revealed that attitudes were significantly correlated with self-efficacy (Spearman ρ = 0.243, p = 0.001) while general knowledge was not (Spearman p = 0.143; p-value = 0.054). A ‘higher level of knowledge’ based on experience and observations of people with dementia which forms the cognitive aspect of nurses’ attitudes had the highest correlation with self-efficacy (Spearman p = 0.275, p-value = <0.01). Age and length of experience were significantly associated with dementia knowledge. There is a need to sustain Filipino nurses’ positive attitudes on dementia care as it can influence their self-efficacy and therefore, their ability to provide person-centered care, the gold standard in dementia care.