Responding to safe care: Healthcare staff experiences caring for a child with intellectual disability in hospital. Implications for practice and training

Natalie Ong; Janet C Long; Janelle Weise; Merrilyn Walton

doi:10.1111/jar.12978

Responding to safe care: Healthcare staff experiences caring for a child with intellectual disability in hospital. Implications for practice and training

J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2022 May;35(3):675-690. doi: 10.1111/jar.12978. Epub 2022 Jan 30.

Authors

Natalie Ong¹, Janet C Long², Janelle Weise³, Merrilyn Walton⁴

Affiliations

¹ Child Development Unit, Children's Hospital Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
³ Department of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

PMID: 35098618
DOI: 10.1111/jar.12978

Abstract

Background: Children with intellectual disability are vulnerable to adverse events in hospital due to limited staff skills and system safeguards.

Method: A systematic review of the literature explored healthcare staff (HCS) experiences in providing care for children and young persons with intellectual disability in hospital using thematic analysis.

Results: Eleven of the 735 publications extracted identified the following themes: distress, communication, partnerships, identification, training and education and optimising care. Consistent findings suggest that HCS feel unskilled in providing care for the child with intellectual disability in hospital settings. HCS recognised the role of parents as experts of their child but also feel unsettled when challenged by them. Skills in communicating with the child, developing partnerships with parents, having identification systems to plan for reasonable adjustments was key to improving care.

Conclusions: Organisational advocacy, practical skills training in identification, reasonable adjustments and improved attitudes are important for HCS to provide safe and quality care.

Keywords: children; experience; healthcare staff; intellectual disability; patient safety; young person.

Publication types

Review
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Child
Delivery of Health Care
Hospitals
Humans
Intellectual Disability*
Parents
Quality of Health Care