Nursing care for persons with developmental disabilities: Review of literature on barriers and facilitators faced by nurses to provide care
Nazilla Khanlou, Attia Khan, Christine Kurtz Landy, Rani Srivastava, Shirley McMillan, Susan VanDeVelde‐Coke, Luz María Vázquez
Abstract
AIMS: To identify barriers and facilitators to nursing care of individuals with developmental disabilities (DDs). BACKGROUND: Individuals with DDs experience health disparities. Nurses, although well positioned to provide optimal care to this population, face challenges. DESIGN: Narrative review of extant published peer-reviewed literature. DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases, ProQuest and EBSCO, were searched for studies published in English between 2000 and 2019. REVIEW METHODS: Three reviewers reviewed abstracts and completed data extraction. Knowledge synthesis was completed by evaluating the 17 selected studies. RESULTS: Emerging themes were: (1) barriers and challenges to nursing interventions; (2) facilitators to nursing care; and (3) recommendations for nursing education, policy and practice. CONCLUSION: Nursing has the potential to be a key partner in supporting the health of people with DDs. IMPACT: There is a need for specific education and training, so nurses are better equipped to provide care for people with DDs.