Focus group interviews examining the contribution of intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists in Ireland

Abstract

Ireland is in a unique position to develop knowledge regarding specialist care for people with intellectual disability that can be shared and adapted by other healthcare professionals in other countries that do not have specialised intellectual disability nurses.

The impact of intellectual disability nurse specialists in the United Kingdom and Eire Ireland: An integrative review

“…Articles that met the inclusion criteria were independently reviewed by two authors. The articles included four qualitative studies: (Brown et al, 2016;Doody et al, 2013Doody et al, , 2016Doody et al, , 2017 and four mixed methods studies (Brown et al, 2012;Castles, Bailey, Gates, & Sooben, 2012MacArthur et al, 2015). • More needs to be known about the experiences of people with Intellectual Disability accessing health care and the impact of Intellectual Disability Nurse Specialists' in acute and general care settings to develop strategies for delivering high-quality, sustainable care to this vulnerable patient population.…”

“…All studies reported that person-centred care was a significant component of the Intellectual Disability Nurse Specialists' role (Brown et al, 2012(Brown et al, , 2016Castles et al, 2012Castles et al, , 2014Doody et al, 2013Doody et al, , 2016Doody et al, , 2017MacArthur et al, 2015). This was associated with the Intellectual Disability Nurse Specialist "seeing the person rather than the disability" and their "unique attitude regarding dignity, respect and personhood of the individual which is seen as the cornerstone of care" (p116), which played a significant role in achieving optimal outcomes for people with intellectual disability (Doody et al, 2013).…”

Understanding the contemporary role of the intellectual disability nurse: A review of the literature

“…This category focuses on the nurses’ specific professional designation (e.g., Clinical Nurse Specialist) and the settings in which specialist nurses working with people with ID work (e.g., forensics). Both the intellectual disability liaison nurse and ID Clinical Nurse Specialist roles can be described in terms of the performance of three major tasks: (a) providing education to clients, hospital staff and families; (b) advocating for the client in the acute hospital setting; and (c) facilitating relationships between the client, hospital staff and family to ensure better outcomes for health and well‐being (Brown et al., ; Castles, Bailey, Gates, & Sooben, ; Doody, Slevin, & Taggart, , ; MacArthur et al., ). The guiding principle of these three activities is the provision of person‐centred care.…”

“…(b) advocating for the client in the acute hospital setting; and (c) facilitating relationships between the client, hospital staff and family to ensure better outcomes for health and well-being (Brown et al, 2012;Castles, Bailey, Gates, & Sooben, 2014;Doody, Slevin, & Taggart, 2016MacArthur et al, 2015). The guiding principle of these three activities is the provision of person-centred care.…”

A survey of nursing and multidisciplinary team members' perspectives on the perceived contribution of intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists

“…A cross‐sectional study to identify nurses' and MDT members' perceived contribution of intellectual disability CNSs. The research instrument used to collect the data was a 51‐item questionnaire developed based on the supporting literature and the findings from a focus group study (Doody, Slevin & Taggart ) and adapted from a survey of CNS activities (Doody, Slevin & Taggart ). The questionnaire was piloted prior to use for relevance and application with two MDT members, five nurses and two nurse managers (NMs), and no changes were necessary.…”