Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Jean Lange.
Based on biopsychosocial theories of aging, a tool was developed to assist nurses in conducting holistic adult admission assessments. The Adult Assessment Tool can facilitate comprehensive, best-practice decisions in caring for hospitalized middle-aged and older adults.
Because of the growing population of older adults in America, nursing faculty throughout the United States have been consistently challenged during the past decade to use the most appropriate methods to strengthen geriatric content in baccalaureate nursing programs. The question of whether to integrate content throughout the curriculum or offer a stand-alone geriatric nursing course has been explored extensively, but no ultimate conclusion has been found. With the support of a grant for geriatric curriculum integration from the John A. Hartford Foundation, one university began the journey to integrate geriatric nursing curriculum throughout all baccalaureate nursing courses. However, at a curriculum evaluation meeting held halfway through the grant period, faculty expressed the need to have concentrated content earlier in the program that could serve as a foundation on which to build geriatric knowledge. Faculty unanimously voted to create a geriatric nursing course to be offered to students during their second year of baccalaureate study.
Substantial gaps exist between the number of older adults requiring competent geriatric care and the number of nurses able to provide it. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate a geriatric nurse education program to ensure nurses meet the needs of the increasing elderly population. Establishing partnerships between individuals in academia and those in a clinical practice was imperative in the development of the program. Content for the program was created with the assistance of a geriatric nursing consultant and approved by the State Nurses Association. The program was piloted with 18 participating nurses. Using paired ttests, pretests and posttests revealed significant improvements in the level of knowledge and attitudes toward older adults. As a result of the program, participants showed improved attitudes toward and increased knowledge of older adults' needs, and further program development and dissemination are planned nationally and abroad.