Nurses' Attitudes toward Change and the Affecting Factors.

Background: Change brings solutions to problems but also can create new challenges. People and institutions aiming to maintain success have to manage change appropriately. Objective: This study was carried out to determine nurses' attitudes toward change and the sociodemographic and occupational factors affecting these attitudes. Methods: This descriptive-crossectional study consisted of 401 nurses working in a training and research hospital in Istanbul. Data were collected using the "Nurse Information Form" and the "Attitude Toward Change Scale". Results: The mean age of the participants was 26.18±5.41 years and 51.1% had a bachelor's degree. Of them, 69.6% stated that change provided motivation for professional development and 96.8% believed in the importance of teamwork for changes to be successful. The scores on the "Attitude Toward Change Scale" revealed that nurses received the lowest score (2.47±1.08) on the scale item "I am rewarded when I exhibit the desired behavior in relation to change". Conclusions: The scale total mean score was found above the average value. Based on this result, we can say that nurses' attitudes toward change were positive in general. Nurses should be involved in the studies regarding change activities as well as being informed and motivated about the subject of change for successful change management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]