Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Nursing

Advisor

Janice Long

Abstract

Implicit bias in healthcare toward those living in poverty may contribute to inequalities in care and increase the likelihood of patient noncompliance. The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in a poverty simulation had an impact on the attitudes of professional nurses toward those in poverty. Mezirow’s transformational theory was used to guide the study by allowing the learner to examine meaning and revise perspective after participation in an online module. This module included an online poverty simulation created by The United Way of Connecticut titled Making Tough Choices as well as a pre- and post-simulation survey of attitudes toward poverty measured using the Attitudes Toward Poverty (ATP) Short Form. This quantitative, quasi-experimental study used a convenience sampling of 35 registered nurses employed by a large, metropolitan health system recruited via an email invitation to all registered nurses in the health system. Data were analyzed using a paired t-test to determine if there were changes in attitudes toward poverty after participation in the simulation. Results revealed a significant difference in attitudes toward those in poverty after simulation participation. Positive social change can occur when nurses explore and recognize their bias and attitudes and have an opportunity for behavior modification. Recommendations for future research include identifying similar nursing populations and population bases to provide more generalizable data and identification of other approaches that provide an experience for participants to “step into the shoes” of those in poverty. A study that measured the attitudes after a longer period of participation in the simulation would also provide further data regarding long-term change of attitudes.

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