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Hospital Policies and Nurses’Attitudes in Israel towards Paid carers’ Tasks during Patient Hospitalization*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2014

Esther Iecovich*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Gerontology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Barbara Rabin
Affiliation:
Social Services, Sapir Medical Center, Israel
Michal Penchak
Affiliation:
Clalit Health Maintenance Organization, Israel
*
La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: / Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to Esther Iecovich, Ph.D. Department of Public Health and Gerontology Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel (iecovich@bgu.ac.il)

Abstract

Many hospitalized older patients are functionally dependent and, during their hospitalization, employ paid caregivers to perform various tasks. This study examined nurses’ attitudes regarding the tasks these care workers should or should not be allowed to perform in providing care during hospitalization, and the factors underlying nurses’ attitudes towards these paid carers. The study involved interviews of five key informants such as head nurses and medical directors in two general hospitals and surveys of 265 nurses in internal medicine and geriatric wards. Although no formal policies or guidelines existed with respect to the tasks that paid carers perform, most nurses believed that paid carers caregivers should be allowed to perform certain tasks except for those involving professional nursing. Hospital and nurses’ characteristics were significant in explaining nurses’ attitudes towards paid carers’ involvement with older care recipients. The study results indicate a need for explicit policies and practice guidelines for paid carers of older patients during hospitalization.

Résumé

Beaucoup de patients âgés hospitalisés sont fonctionellement dépendant et, pendant leur hospitalisation, ils emploient soignants rémunérés pour effectuer diverses tâches. Cette étude a examiné les attitudes des infirmières au sujet des tâches que les soignants doivent ou ne doivent pas être autorisés à jouer dans la prestation de soins durant l’hospitalisation, et les facteurs sous-jacents ces attitudes des infirmières vers les soignants rémunérés. L’étude a impliqué des interviews de cinq informateurs clés, tels que les infirmières en chef et les directeurs médicaux dans deux hôpitaux et des enquêtes sur 265 infirmières en médicine interne et gériatrie générale. Bien que pas de politiques ou directives formelles existent en ce qui concerne les tâches effectuées par les soignants rémunérés, la plupart des infirmières croyaient que les soignants rémunérés devraient être autorisés à effectuer certaines tâches, sauf pour celles qui entraînent soins infirmiers professionnels. Les caractéristiques des infirmières et des hôpitaux ont contribué à expliquer les attitudes des infirmières envers la participation des soignants remunérés avec les bénéficiaires âgés de soins. Les résultats de cette étude indiquent un besoin de politiques explicites et des orientations pratiques pour soignants rémunérés de patients âgés au cours de l’hospitalisation.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2014 

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Footnotes

*

This research was funded by the Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research.

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