Developing an Instrument to Measure Self-Efficacy, Challenges and Knowledge in Oral Care among Geriatric Home Care Nurses—A Pilot Study

Abstract

The role of geriatric nurses is essential in preventing oral health problems of older people with impaired daily functioning. Nurses have reported low self-efficacy with regard to oral health care practices and wish to receive more information on the topic. The main aim of this pilot study was to develop an instrument to measure the self-efficacy beliefs, challenges and knowledge of geriatric home care nurses with regard to the oral health care of older. A questionnaire was developed to evaluate geriatric home care nurses’ self-efficacy beliefs, challenges and knowledge regarding the oral health care of the older people. In this case, 18 nurses participated in a one-day intervention and filled in the questionnaire before and after the intervention. The comments and questions of the nurses were analysed utilising the principles of inductive content analysis. Cronbach’s alpha for the scales varied between 0.69–0.79. The interactive intervention improved both nurses’ self-efficacy beliefs and oral health-related knowledge, and most of the challenges faced by nurses in older people’s oral health care were diminished. Financial resources and older people’s self-determination were the most common limitations to oral care. In this pilot study, we developed an instrument to measure geriatric home care nurses’ self-efficacy beliefs, challenges and knowledge regarding older people’s oral health care. In the future, this instrument can be validated with a larger study population.