Emergency department nurses' knowledge, skills, and comfort related to caring for patients with intellectual disabilities. (May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Spassiani, Natasha A.; Abou Chacra, Megan S.; Selick, Avra; Durbin, Janet; Lunsky, Yona
• Is Part Of: International emergency nursing. Volume 50(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-05
• Subjects: Intellectual disabilities -- Emergency departments -- Nurses -- Knowledge -- Attitudes -- Comfort -- Adaptive care; Emergency nursing -- Periodicals; 616.025
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ienj.2020.100851
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1755-599X

Abstract

Highlights: The majority of emergency department (ED) nurses reported having treated a patient with an intellectual disability (ID), however, only half of ED nurses in the study reported knowing how to adapt care when treating individuals with ID. ED nurses play an important role in the quality of care that is received by patients with ID who are utilizing ED services. The study found that ED nurses knowledge, comfort and skill level when providing care for a patient with ID requires further education in how adapt care. Abstract: Introduction: Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are more likely to visit the emergency department (ED) more frequently than their counterparts without ID. Nurses play an integral role in caring for all patients in the ED, including those with ID, although training to work with this population is limited. The aim of this study was to examine the self-perceived knowledge, skills, and comfort of ED nurses when caring for a patient with ID. Methods: Questionnaires were returned from 151 nurses from a total of six EDs within Ontario, Canada. The questionnaire contained fourteen items related to knowledge, comfort, practice and skills, readiness for change, prior exposure to patients with ID, and awareness of strategies to identify patients in this population. Results: Although the majority of nurses reported an interaction with a patient with a suspected ID in the past year, only 28% of respondents reported awareness of strategies to help identify if a patient may have an ID, and only half reported feeling skilled in adapting their communication and approach. Discussion: ED nurses are the first point of contact in caring for patients with ID, thus it is crucial that they understand how to provide accessible and inclusive care for this population.