Improving hospital care of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Sarah H Ailey; Paula J Brown; Caitlin M Ridge

doi:10.1016/j.dhjo.2016.12.019

Improving hospital care of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Disabil Health J. 2017 Apr;10(2):169-172. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2016.12.019. Epub 2017 Jan 4.

Authors

Sarah H Ailey¹, Paula J Brown², Caitlin M Ridge³

Affiliations

¹ Rush University Medical Center College of Nursing, United States. Electronic address: Sarah_H_Ailey@rush.edu.
² Rush University Medical Center Office for Equal Opportunity, United States.
³ Saint Barnabas Medical Center, RWJBarnabas Health, United States.

PMID: 28087196
DOI: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2016.12.019

Abstract

People with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities (IDD) face poorer care and outcomes when hospitalized than patients without IDD. A panel discussion Hospital care for individuals with IDD: The Issues and Challenges was held at the Annual Conference of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry, held in Chicago July 8-10, 2016. Among the panelists were representatives from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL and Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ who discussed efforts to improve hospital care of patients with IDD at their institutions. Systemic changes are needed to improve care, however, programs that target improving care for patients with IDD are possible within current systems and with current staff who are empowered to make changes that improve the quality of care.

Keywords: Hospital care; Intellectual and developmental disabilities; Quality improvement.

MeSH terms

Developmental Disabilities*
Hospitalization
Hospitals*
Humans
Illinois
Intellectual Disability*
New Jersey
Patient Care / standards*
Persons with Disabilities*
Quality Improvement*
Quality of Health Care*
Treatment Outcome