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Effectiveness of clinical champion educational program on nurses’ geriatric nursing knowledge, attitudes, and competence: a quasi-experimental study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Global population aging has made the care needs of older patients increasingly complex, placing greater demands on clinical nurses. However, nurses’ preparedness for geriatric care remains insufficient, highlighting the need for educational strategies that strengthen competence and support learning transfer into practice. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a clinical champion educational program in improving clinical nurses’ geriatric nursing knowledge, competence, and attitudes. A quasi-experimental study was conducted. A total of 101 clinical nurses participated in the study. The intervention comprised clinical champion-focused comprehensive geriatric nursing training, knowledge sharing and practice translation, and implementation support and feedback. Participants’ geriatric nursing knowledge, competence, and attitudes were measured at baseline (T0), 48 h after the intervention (T1), 1 month after the intervention (T2), and 3 months after the intervention (T3). Linear mixed models were used to evaluate changes in the outcomes over time. The clinical champion educational program significantly improved geriatric nursing knowledge ( p < 0.001) and geriatric nursing competence ( p < 0.001), with these gains maintained at T2 and T3. Attitudes toward caring for older patients improved at T1 and T2, but no significant difference from baseline was observed at T3 ( p = 0.256). The program improved clinical nurses’ geriatric nursing knowledge, competence and attitudes, and these improvements were maintained during short-term follow-up. Integrating the clinical champion role into geriatric nursing education may be an effective strategy for hospital-based continuing education and geriatric nursing workforce development, thereby promoting improvements in geriatric nursing quality and patient safety. Not applicable.

Source: BMC Nursing

DOI: 10.1186/s12912-026-05300-9