First-of-its-Kind Continuing Education Curriculum for Acute Care Nurses Improves Patient Outcomes for Individuals with IDD
The Golisano Institute for Developmental Disability Nursing at St. John Fisher University has launched an innovative, first-of-its-kind continuing education curriculum to help nurses deliver equitable care to patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
The curriculum, Optimizing Care for Hospitalized Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, is designed to prepare nurses to deliver confident, informed, and compassionate care to individuals with IDD in a hospital setting. Patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities can present unique communication and behavioral challenges. Yet, most nursing programs do not include specialized training to meet the needs of this growing population. A lack of tools and training leads to stress and burnout for staff and negatively impacts patient experience and health outcomes.
“Nurses are the segment of the health care workforce most frequently caring for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities, yet they often lack the training to address this critical need,” said Dr. Holly Brown, executive director of the Golisano Institute, a nationally recognized leader in IDD nursing. “This program will give nurses the tools and strategies they need to manage daily challenges, improve health outcomes, and enhance the patient experience. It can also improve morale among nurses, increasing staff retention and preventing burnout.”
Brown said that patients with IDD often present a unique set of challenges for health care providers, including communication issues and behaviors of concern. The patient experience suffers, resulting in distress, gaps in health outcomes, and prolonged hospital stays. The program’s eight modules address the wider issues of longer hospital stays, treatment delays, and inadequate care that individuals with IDD experience during hospitalization. In addition, the material helps nurses understand these disabilities at a deeper level to dispel any misconceptions or negative stereotypes so that they can provide quality, professional care to this underserved population. The modules address such topics as bias, communication, behavioral and mental health concerns, and signs and symptoms of deterioration in patient status.
The curriculum is evidence-informed, developed by an expert group of nurses and educators. The scenario-based modules are self-paced, interactive, and delivered in an online format. The program was informed by individuals with IDD and their families and piloted with 110 learners from three New York state health systems over the course of a year. During the pilot phase, qualitative and quantitative data were collected pre- and post-program completion from learners and administrators to ensure it was meeting its goals. Ninety percent of learners in the pilot reported that the program positively influenced their comfort and confidence in caring for individuals with IDD. Administrators reported that the program reduced care team stress and improved patient experiences and outcomes. The skills learned in the curriculum are transferable and can also benefit nurses working with patients who have cognitive or communication challenges, including those with dementia, stroke, or traumatic brain injuries.
Curriculum development was made possible through support from The B. Thomas Golisano Foundation and the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.
“Providing high-quality care to this population improves equity, and this curriculum can play an important role in creating an inclusive and empathetic environment to address the needs of patients with IDD,” said Charlene Ludlow, MS, RN, CIC, senior vice president of nursing for Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, New York. “Equipping nurses with knowledge, skills, and confidence positively impacts the patient, while reaping benefits for health care teams and systems.”