By the middle of the next century, the number of patients with Alzheimer's disease is estimated to increase to 14 million. Management of the patient with dementia is complex and challenging, and nurses must be capable of rapid and rational decisionmaking based on accurate assessment of the patient's changing condition. Critical thinking skills are essential for nursing practice. This study will explore the relationships among the knowledge, attitudes, and critical thinking skills of nurses caring for patients with dementia. Clinical nurses working on geropsychiatry, aging, and neurology units at the Clinical Center are eligible to participate in this study. Participating nurses will be asked to complete the following instruments: (1) Attitude Towards Demented Patients Scale; (2) Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Test; (3) Facts on Aging Quiz; and (4) Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. Study findings should add to the body of nursing knowledge that deals with variables affecting the clinical decisionmaking of nurses who care for patients with dementias, which will allow supportive and educational programs for nursing staff to be developed. Data collection has been completed, and analysis of the data is in progress. Because no further subject accrual was anticipated, the protocol was terminated.
