Filling the Gaps: Evaluation of an Online Continuing Professional Development Program for Australian Registered Nurses to Build Capacity to Care for People With Developmental Disability

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Abstract

Background:

People with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability have some of the worst health outcomes of any population group. Internationally, it has been identified that RNs are not adequately prepared to provide care to these groups through mainstream health care services.

Method:

A cross-sectional online evaluation survey of participants who completed learning to build the capacity of RNs to care for people with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability was conducted.

Results:

The learning site was found to be easily accessible and engaging, and it facilitated knowledge construction. A statistically significant increase in self-reported comfort, confidence, and preparedness compared with the sample of RNs in a national survey conducted before the site launch was identified.

Conclusion:

This online continuing professional development program facilitated RNs' perceived comfort, confidence, and preparedness to care for people with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disability. Findings suggest the merit of high-quality online continuing professional development programs to fill this educational gap. [ J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(12):554–560.]

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Most cited references 22

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The health status of adults on the autism spectrum.

Lisa A Croen, Ousseny Zerbo, Yinge Qian … (2015)

Compared to the general pediatric population, children with autism have higher rates of co-occurring medical and psychiatric illnesses, yet very little is known about the general health status of adults with autism. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency of psychiatric and medical conditions among a large, diverse, insured population of adults with autism in the United States. Participants were adult members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California enrolled from 2008 to 2012. Autism spectrum disorder cases (N = 1507) were adults with autism spectrum disorder diagnoses (International Classification of Diseases-9-Clinical Modification codes 299.0, 299.8, 299.9) recorded in medical records on at least two separate occasions. Controls (N = 15,070) were adults without any autism spectrum disorder diagnoses sampled at a 10:1 ratio and frequency matched to cases on sex and age. Adults with autism had significantly increased rates of all major psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and suicide attempts. Nearly all medical conditions were significantly more common in adults with autism, including immune conditions, gastrointestinal and sleep disorders, seizure, obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes. Rarer conditions, such as stroke and Parkinson's disease, were also significantly more common among adults with autism. Future research is needed to understand the social, healthcare access, and biological factors underlying these observations.

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Cause of death and potentially avoidable deaths in Australian adults with intellectual disability using retrospective linked data

Julian Trollor, Preeyaporn Srasuebkul, Han Xu … (2017)

Objectives To investigate mortality and its causes in adults over the age of 20 years with intellectual disability (ID). Design, setting and participants Retrospective population-based standardised mortality of the ID and Comparison cohorts. The ID cohort comprised 42 204 individuals who registered for disability services with ID as a primary or secondary diagnosis from 2005 to 2011 in New South Wales (NSW). The Comparison cohort was obtained from published deaths in NSW from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) from 2005 to 2011. Main outcome measures We measured and compared Age Standardised Mortality Rate (ASMR), Comparative Mortality Figure (CMF), years of productive life lost (YPLL) and proportion of deaths with potentially avoidable causes in an ID cohort with an NSW general population cohort. Results There were 19 362 adults in the ID cohort which experienced 732 (4%) deaths at a median age of 54 years. Age Standardised Mortality Rates increased with age for both cohorts. Overall comparative mortality figure was 1.3, but was substantially higher for the 20–44 (4.0) and 45–64 (2.3) age groups. YPLL was 137/1000 people in the ID cohort and 49 in the comparison cohort. Cause of death in ID cohort was dominated by respiratory, circulatory, neoplasm and nervous system. After recoding deaths previously attributed to the aetiology of the disability, 38% of deaths in the ID cohort and 17% in the comparison cohort were potentially avoidable. Conclusions Adults with ID experience premature mortality and over-representation of potentially avoidable deaths. A national system of reporting of deaths in adults with ID is required. Inclusion in health policy and services development and in health promotion programmes is urgently required to address premature deaths and health inequalities for adults with ID.

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A scoping review of what is known of the physical health of adults with autism spectrum disorder

Nicholas Lennox, Thomas Buckley, Andrew Cashin … (2017)

Little research has been carried out on the physical health of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). From the studies conducted with both children and adults, few studies have moved beyond retrospective record analysis and survey and conducted health assessment. The majority of the studies are from the United States of America with a small number conducted in Europe. A scoping review was conducted to determine what is known of the physical health of adults with ASD and to identify research gaps. In addition to studies of adults, this review includes studies of children to determine possible health trajectories. From the findings, it can be stated with confidence that people with ASD have a high rate of comorbidity and increased risk for chronic disease.

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Author and article information

Journal

Title: The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing

Abbreviated Title: J Contin Educ Nurs

Publisher: SLACK, Inc.

ISSN (Print): 0022-0124

Publication date Created: December 2023

Publication date (Print): December 2023

Volume: 54

Issue: 12

Pages: 554-560

Article

DOI: 10.3928/00220124-20231013-01

SO-VID: 88667fce-47da-4c83-a059-17914507fbf9

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