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

Abstract

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