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.