Indonesian nurses' awareness and application of reasonable adjustments when caring for people with intellectual disability and/or autism.
Amy Pracilio, Nathan J Wilson, Roxsana Devi Tumanggor and 1 others
PMID 38506342WHAT IT FOUND
Most Indonesian nurses surveyed were unfamiliar with reasonable adjustments for patients with intellectual disability or autism, and nearly half never applied them.
Nurses with specific education or clinical experience in these conditions were significantly more likely to use adjustments.
Key findings
01Over half of the nurses surveyed did not know what reasonable adjustments were, and 41.9% reported never applying them in practice.
02Nurses who had undergraduate content or clinical placements focused on intellectual disability or autism were significantly more likely to be familiar with and apply reasonable adjustments.
03Adapting the nursing approach was the most common adjustment used, followed by seeking out environmental adjustments and allowing extra time for communication.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
All data were self-reported, so actual practice may differ from what nurses said they did. Participants had just attended a seminar on the topic, which may have increased their interest or awareness compared to the general nursing population. The study describes associations, so it cannot prove that education causes better practice, only that the two are linked.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared by the authors.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nurses are unwilling to help patients with intellectual disability or autism. The study found that lack of education and confidence, not attitude, was the primary barrier to applying reasonable adjustments.