An analysis of nursing and medical students? attitudes towards and knowledge of Alzheimer?s Disease (AD).

Objectives: Little is known about how Jordanian undergraduate medical and nursing students perceive Alzheimer?s disease (AD) care. This study aimed to investigate nursing and medical students? AD knowledge, attitudes, and associated factors with their knowledge to inform reforms to multidisciplinary AD education undergraduate programs in Jordan. Methods: Cross-sectional research was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire. Students? knowledge was measured using the Alzheimer?s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS) and attitudes were measured using the Dementia Care Attitude Scale (DCAS). The survey was completed by 423 nursing and medical students. Results: The overall mean score on the ADKS for students? AD knowledge was 17.50 (SD=3.08) out of 30 and the DCAS for students? attitudes toward AD was 26.76 (SD=6.19) out of 40. Conclusions: Medical students had a higher level of AD knowledge and a lower level of positive attitude than nursing students (p<0.05).