Nurses' Perspectives and Understanding of Sarcopenia in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Abstract

Background: Sarcopenia is prevalent in older adults. It is essential for nurses to sustain updated information regarding the knowledge of sarcopenia, particularly in relation to approaches to diagnosing and addressing sarcopenia. However, there are limited studies examining the attitudes and awareness of nurses in relation to this condition.

Objective: To assess the attitude and knowledge of nurses regarding sarcopenia and correlation between positive attitude and scores on knowledge.

Materials and methods: An electronic survey was carried out among the nurses of the Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand, during November 2022 and January 2024. This survey encompassed questionnaires aimed at evaluating the nurses' perspectives and understanding of sarcopenia. The participants were invited to complete the survey, and they were returned to the researchers for analysis.

Results: A total of 231 nurses were recruited (response rate 46.2%). Only 58.4% of them were familiar with "sarcopenia," while only 16% had confidence in diagnosing it. For general knowledge, they achieved a total score of 19/30 (63.3%). They demonstrated proficiency in "etiology" (75%), while their performance was fair in "management and prevention" (62.5%) and low in "terminology & importance" (50%) and "diagnosis" (50%). The correlation between positive attitude and knowledge on sarcopenia was 0.22 (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Nurses exhibited a reduced awareness regarding "sarcopenia." Their comprehension about terminology, diagnosis, prevention, and management of this condition was limited. There was a weak correlation between positive attitude and knowledge. The findings emphasize the essentiality of augmenting the educational programs to enhance the recognition of sarcopenia among nurses.