Knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and self-reported practice concerning urinary incontinence in nursing home care.
BACKGROUND
Urinary incontinence (UI) is a prevalent problem in aging adults and is associated with significant psychosocial, physical, and economic consequences. In order to improve continence care, it is important to understand nurses' knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes about UI. This study examined the relationship between knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and continence-related practice.


METHODS
A cross-sectional design was used to gather self-reported data from 315 nurses and nursing assistants.


METHODS
Participants completed a questionnaire consisting of 3 parts: (1) the Knowledge and Practice Instrument, (2) the German version of Henderson's Attitude and Belief Scale, and (3) demographic data.


RESULTS
Results demonstrate that knowledge and attitude are related to practice. In contrast, beliefs showed no relation to either practice, or to knowledge, or to attitudes. The practice subscales, which can best be influenced by knowledge and behavioral attitude, are "assessment and information" and "drinking habit and excretion."


CONCLUSIONS
It is worth making an effort to increase nurses' knowledge about UI assessment via continuing education. In addition, nurses' and nursing assistants' attitudes can be positively influenced by cooperation with advanced practice geriatric nurses.
Saxer
Susi
S
Institut für Angewandte Pflegewissenschaft (IPW-FHS), University of Applied Sciences St. Gallen, CH-9001 St. Gallen, Switzerland. susi.saxer@fhsg.ch
de Bie
Rob A
RA
Dassen
Theo
T
Halfens
Ruud J G
RJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004327:Drinking Behavior; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration; D006184:Habits; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016294:Models, Nursing; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D009728:Nursing Assistants / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control