Australian Registered Nurse's' Awareness of Key Issues, Ambivalence and Education Related to the Health of People With Intellectual Disability and/or Autism.

This was a self-report online survey, so it measured what nurses said about their education and attitudes, not what they actually did at the bedside. The survey was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that continuing education caused lower ambivalence or greater awareness. Self-selection bias is possible because nurses with less ambivalence may have been more likely to complete the Every Nurse's Business programme or other relevant continuing education. More than half of respondents reported an immediate family member with autism or intellectual disability, so some analyses were repeated only on the 206 respondents without such a family member. The study was about Registered Nurses, not physical therapists, occupational therapists or speech-language pathologists, so it does not directly show how these professions should change their practice.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The work was funded by the National Disability Insurance Agency.

Do not read the associations between continuing education and lower ambivalence as proof that education improves patient care. The study measured nurses' self-reported attitudes and awareness at one time, not patient outcomes, and the Every Nurse's Business comparison did not show a significant effect on ambivalence or familiarity with NDIS pathways.