Nursing care for persons with developmental disabilities: Review of literature on barriers and facilitators faced by nurses to provide care

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.

Keywords: developmental disabilities; health disparities; narrative review; nurses; nursing care; nursing competencies; nursing education.