Activities of Intellectual Disability Clinical Nurse Specialists in Ireland

Abstract

Ireland ABSTRACT Purpose/Aim:The aim of this study was to identify the contribution of Irish intellectual disability clinical nurse specialist to service delivery. Design:A non-experimental descriptive design was selected to survey intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists presently working in Ireland. The questionnaire was developed based on focus group interviews, available literature and expert panel views. Methods:Ethical approval and access was granted to all intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists in Ireland. 32 responded (33.68% response rate) from all work areas (voluntary organisations or health service executive) practicing within residential, community or school services. Respondents were surveyed across a range of areas (demographic details, support to; client, staff, family, organisation, community, other agencies, and professional development). Results:Findings identify that intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists are active in all aspects of their roles as clinical specialist, educator, communicator, researcher, change agent and leader. Thus supporting person-centred care and improving service delivery. Conclusions:To meet changing healthcare demands, promote person-centred care, and improve service delivery, the clinical nurse specialist role in intellectual disability should be developed and supported. The findings merit further study on ID CNS role activity, possible variables influencing role activity and team members' views.

A survey of nursing and multidisciplinary team members' perspectives on the perceived contribution of intellectual disability clinical nurse specialists

“…Given the evidence within this study that consultation and referral are occurring within and across services, we can also expect that such working relationship will continue to develop as people with intellectual disability move to community‐based services and a increasing percentage of people with intellectual disability live at home (HSE, , ; Hourigan, Fanagan, & Kelly, ). While evidence‐based practice and presenting at conferences were positively highlighted, the aspect of engaging in research was lower within this study (42%) as compared to CNS report at 65% (Doody et al, ). However, research is stated as the least used facet of the CNS role and CNSs often lack the experience, knowledge, skills and resources to engage in research or appraise the effect of their role (Boyko, Carter, & Bryant‐Lukosius, ; Bryant‐Lukosius, DiCenso, Browne, & Pinelli, ; Guest et al, ).…”

“…In addition, informal education, support and been a resource for staff (Farrell, Molassiotis, Beaver, & Heaven, ; Husband & Kennedy, ) and support for students (Anderson, ; Jack, Hendry, & Topping, ) were recognised. While 70% of CNSs report performing an audit of their service (Doody, Slevin, & Taggart, ), only 33% of respondent in this study report CNSs auditing their service even though it was reported of high importance. While an audit was rated as important and some CNSs are completing an audit of their service, it is uncertain as to the mechanism for the audit or the tool used, and when completed, the audits are invisible to the CNS colleagues.…”

“…A cross‐sectional study to identify nurses' and MDT members' perceived contribution of intellectual disability CNSs. The research instrument used to collect the data was a 51‐item questionnaire developed based on the supporting literature and the findings from a focus group study (Doody, Slevin & Taggart ) and adapted from a survey of CNS activities (Doody, Slevin & Taggart ). The questionnaire was piloted prior to use for relevance and application with two MDT members, five nurses and two nurse managers (NMs), and no changes were necessary.…”

Understanding the contemporary role of the intellectual disability nurse: A review of the literature

“…Therefore, our findings suggest that specialist ID nurses need to be adaptable and resilient when developing relationships with their clients. This might explain the finding that nurses reported providing client-focused support with emotional and behavioural management as roles with which they frequently engage (Doody et al, 2017;Fitzgerald & Sweeney, 2013). This is further highlighted by our findings related to forensic nursing:…”

“…This category focuses on the nurses’ specific professional designation (e.g., Clinical Nurse Specialist) and the settings in which specialist nurses working with people with ID work (e.g., forensics). Both the intellectual disability liaison nurse and ID Clinical Nurse Specialist roles can be described in terms of the performance of three major tasks: (a) providing education to clients, hospital staff and families; (b) advocating for the client in the acute hospital setting; and (c) facilitating relationships between the client, hospital staff and family to ensure better outcomes for health and well‐being (Brown et al., ; Castles, Bailey, Gates, & Sooben, ; Doody, Slevin, & Taggart, , ; MacArthur et al., ). The guiding principle of these three activities is the provision of person‐centred care.…”