Rating Disabilities of Older Patients by Nurses and Social Workers on Geriatric Health Care Teams: A Research Note with Implications for Further Study

Abstract

This article reports the results of an analysis of interprofessional agreements between nurses and social workers when rating older patients on their physical self-maintenance abilities, mental statuses, and dispositions to social interaction with other residents of a home for the aged. The findings showed statistically significant intercorrelations of ratings of physical self-maintenance abilities and mental statuses, but no agreement on disposition to interaction. These findings are interpreted for their implications for research and practices of nurses and social-workers on geriatric health care teams.