Attitude of nursing students towards Internet-based nursing services for the aged

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the attitude, willingness, and motivation of third-year undergraduate nursing students from a university of Chinese medicine toward Internet-based nursing services for the aged (IBNSA), providing a reference for its development and related nursing education. METHODS: This study was conducted from March to April 2019. Using a self-designed questionnaire, this cross-sectional study comprised 508 third-year undergraduate nursing students from a university of Chinese medicine. The questionnaire was divided into two parts. The first part contained the general information of nursing students. The second part investigated nursing students’ attitudes, willingness, and motivation towards IBNSA (a total of seven questions). RESULTS: Of the 508 nursing students, 314 (61.81%) expressed support for the IBNSA, 44(8.66%) expressed disapproval. Regarding career choice, 279 (54.92%) were willing to choose IBNSA, 51 (10.04%) were unwilling. The top three motivations for choosing IBNSA as a nursing student career were increased income, high autonomy and flexibility, and good job prospects. On the contrary, the top three reasons not to choose this option were safety concerns, lack of time and energy, and unwillingness to undertake elderly care. Experience with community activities or a part-time job, experience with elderly care, willing to choose the nursing profession, willing to engage in nursing care after graduation, and willing to engage in nursing for elderly patients after graduation were significantly associated with the motivation of nursing students to participate in IBNSA (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The majority of nursing students have a positive attitude towards IBNSA and are willing to choose it as their future career. Nurses’ and patients’ safety guarantees and salary distribution were critical factors influencing their choice. Nursing schools should pay attention to the concerns of nursing students, constantly improve the management system of IBNSA, strengthen safety education, and provide professional knowledge and skills to improve the quality of personnel training.