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Nursing students´ conceptions of dementia: A phenomenographic study

Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Although dementia has become a public health priority, a lack of awareness and understanding regarding dementia on the part of healthcare workers may bring about poor health outcomes. Nursing students will be encountering people with dementia in most practice settings more than ever before, therefore, this phenomenographic study aims to explore nursing students’ conceptions of dementia. This study was set in three Spanish Nursing Schools. Eligible participants (n = 309) were second-year students in the 2021–22 academic year. Written pretests and posttests were used to collect data, which researchers analyzed using a phenomenographic method. Nursing students conceptualized dementia and its symptoms hierarchically and distinctively. For the concept of dementia, four categories emerged: ‘Students have a comprehensive understanding of dementia,’ ‘Students provide limited justification for dementia,’ ‘Students hold alternative conceptions of dementia,’ and ‘Students fail to address the question.’ For dementia symptoms, three categories emerged: ‘Students recognize dementia as involving both cognitive symptoms and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia,’ ‘Students believe dementia comprises only cognitive symptoms,’ and ‘Students explain dementia symptoms incorrectly.’ Consistent use of the nomenclature and the relevance of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia were found to be problematic learning areas for participants. The implications of these findings include the identification of areas of difficulty that might hinder deeper learning. These results can inform the design of more effective nursing curricula in higher education, ultimately improving health outcomes related to dementia.
DOI: 10.1080/03601277.2025.2465292
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4407757954
FWCI: 2.453
Cites: 35
Cited by: 4
Related to: 10