Work

The Effects of Hispanic-Focused Dementia Education on Nursing Students’ Awareness, Knowledge, and Confidence

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background Hispanic Americans are 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia than non-Hispanic White Americans, yet experience a greater delay in diagnosis. The cause for delay is multifactorial, including discrimination when seeking healthcare, predisposition to diseases that increase dementia risk, language and financial barriers, and lack of knowledge. Nurses can play a critical role in addressing these barriers, yet nursing curricula lack formal programs to prepare students for this topic. Purpose To evaluate the effects of a Hispanic-focused dementia educational intervention on nursing students’ awareness, knowledge, and confidence in caring for this patient population. Methodology A single-group, pretest-posttest design was employed, utilizing a convenience sample of undergraduate nursing students. Participants completed assessments to measure their awareness, knowledge, and confidence levels before and after the educational intervention. Results There was a statistically significant increase in awareness of prevalence of health conditions that increase dementia risk (p = 0.002) and prevalence of dementia (p = 0.02) within communities of color; increase in confidence in ability to educate Hispanic patients diagnosed with dementia (p = 0.003); and increase in the mean knowledge of dementia within the Hispanic population. Conclusions These findings support the data-driven change of integrating this educational intervention into the nursing curriculum to prepare nurses for delivering culturally competent care. This initiative is an important step to empower future nurses to improve health outcomes and ensure equitable care for vulnerable populations in professional practice.

Source: Innovation in Aging

DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igaf122.2927

Authors: Jessica Sanchez, Aleatha Rossler

Institution: Texas Woman's University

Language: English

Topic: Cultural Competency in Health Care

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Quality education, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,977