An education program improves knowledge, attitude and implementation of the long-term care 2.0 policy among nursing staff: an example from a rural regional hospital

Purpose: Due to the rapidly ageing population in Taiwan, the government began to implement the Long-Term Care 2.0 policy in 2017 to expand care for elderly patients with dementia and/or disabilities. Most of the elderly population in rural areas have limited access to health information and, therefore, rely on nurses to provide relevant information related to care. This study explored the effectiveness of an education training program on the knowledge, attitude and implementation of the Long-Term Care 2.0 policy among nurses working at a rural hospital. Methods: Quasi-experimental study design, conducted as a single-group intervention with repeated measures. A self-developed Long-Term Care 2.0 policy education and training course was delivered to a total of 259 clinical nurses at a regional hospital in a remote township between June and September 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of education and training courses is in accordance with the regulations of the Centers for Disease Control(CDC) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, with a 60 minute education and training course. The self-developed "Nursing Staff Questionnaire on Policy Knowledge, Attitudes, and Implementation Behaviors for Long-Term Care 2.0" was employed before (T1) and immediately (T2), four weeks (T3), and eight weeks (T4) after the intervention. SPSS version 20.0 was used to calculate frequencies, percentages, averages, standard deviations, paired t tests, repeated measures, and linear regression analysis. Results: A total of 335 registered nurses were initially considered. After applying the exclusion criteria, 259 nurses were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 34.3±7.7 years. Among them, 96% were female, and 57.9% were married. Regarding their professional status, 41.3% held positions at the N2 level. The average professional experience among nurses was 10.4±7.1 years. The education and training course significantly improved (p < 0.05) the nurses' knowledge of the Long-Term Care 2.0 policy immediately (T2), four weeks (T3), and eight weeks (T4) after the intervention. The attitude towards the Long-Term Care 2.0 policy was significantly better immediately after the intervention (T2; p < 0.05 vs. before the intervention), but not four and eight weeks later (p > 0.05). In the eighth week after the intervention, the nurses' attitude towards the Long-Term Care 2.0 policy and their understanding of the patient's need for the Long-Term Care 2.0 policy significantly affected the nurses' implementation behavior. Conclusion: The education and training intervention improved knowledge and attitude towards the Long-Term Care 2.0 policy, and improvements in attitude and understanding of the patient's need significantly increased the implementation behavior of the Long-Term Care 2.0 policy of nurses. The research provides a practical reference for promoting the Long-Term Care 2.0 policy in clinical practice, in order to address the ageing population and enhance care needs.