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Background: Despite experiencing higher rates of physical and mental health conditions compared with the general population, people with intellectual disability face inequitable access to healthcare services. Improving education of healthcare professionals is one way to reduce these inequalities., Objective: To determine how intellectual disability content is taught within Australian nursing schools., Design: A two-phase audit of Australian nursing curricula content was conducted using an interview and online survey., Setting: Nursing schools Australia-wide providing pre-registration courses., Participants: For Phase 1, course coordinators from 31 nursing schools completed an interview on course structure. Teaching staff from 15 schools in which intellectual disability content was identified completed an online survey for Phase 2., Methods: Methods used to teach intellectual disability content and who taught the content were audited using an online survey., Results: Across the 15 schools offering intellectual disability content, lectures were the most common teaching method (82% of units), followed by tutorials (59%), workshops (26%), then other methods (e.g. e-learning; 12%). Approximately three-quarters of intellectual disability teaching used some problem-and/or enquiry-based learning. Only one nursing school involved a person with intellectual disability in delivering teaching content. Six (19%) participating schools identified staff who specialise in intellectual disability, and seven (23%) identified staff with a declared interest in the area., Conclusion: While some nursing schools are using diverse methods to teach intellectual disability content, many are not; as a result, nursing students may miss out on acquiring the attributes which enable them to address the significant health inequalities faced by this group. A specific deficit was identified relating to inclusive teaching and clinical contact with people with intellectual disability., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The specialist field of intellectual disability nursing has been subjected to a number of changes since the move towards deinstitutionalisation from the 1970s. Government policies sought to change the nature of the disability workforce from what was labelled as a medicalised approach, towards a more socially oriented model of support. Decades on however, many nurses who specialise in the care of people with intellectual disability are still employed. In Australia, the advent of the National Disability Insurance Scheme offers an apt moment to reflect upon these decades of specialised nursing care as the context of this nursing care will continue to evolve. A review of the published literature was conducted to explore what has shaped the field in the past and how this might inform the future of this speciality area under new policy and service contexts. People with intellectual disability have specific health and support needs that require a specialised workforce. Specialist nurses continue to be needed for people with intellectual disability., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The integration of technology in nurse education has become an essential element of academic practice. Yet innovation uptake between academic institutions across the four countries of the UK and their clinical practice partners has proved problematic, leading to a slow introduction of digitally enhanced teaching and learning innovations, particularly in the area of clinical decision making and leadership., Participants: The Virtual in Practice Support (VIPS) project involved two academic institutions working with the same mental health care service partner aiming to maximise student clinical placement learning. Student nurses in their final year of training were invited to take part in testing the viability of distance e-tutoring (via computer access to academic nurse lecturers) for facilitated critical reflection., Design: An evaluation of the use of video linked conference sessions, set up for students to undertake a group based online (i.e. virtual) group tutorial is presented., Methods: All participants completed an evaluation data sheet using a five point Likert scale and free text evaluation feedback form completed at the end of each online tutorial session. Students were also invited to a focus group and all tutors were interviewed at the completion of the project., Results: The VIPS project findings highlight; i) the importance of a clear project vision for innovation uptake ii) consequences of working with innovation champions and iii) how technology can be used to maximise student learning across geographical distance through online facilitated group critical discussion., Conclusion: VIPS' participants were able to articulate positive outcomes as a result of engaging in a multi-institutional project that capitalised on the richness of nursing clinical practice learning experience for both the students and the academics involved as innovation champions., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Individuals with intellectual disability experience chronic and complex health issues, but face considerable barriers to healthcare. One such barrier is inadequate education of healthcare professionals., Objective: To establish the quantity and nature of intellectual disability content offered within Australian nursing degree curricula., Design: A two-phase national audit of nursing curriculum content was conducted using an interview and online survey., Setting: Australian nursing schools offering pre-registration courses., Participants: Pre-registration course coordinators from 31 universities completed the Phase 1 interview on course structure. Unit coordinators and teaching staff from 15 universities in which intellectual disability content was identified completed the Phase 2 online survey., Methods: Quantity of compulsory and elective intellectual disability content offered (units and teaching time) and the nature of the content (broad categories, specific topics, and inclusive teaching) were audited using an online survey., Results: Over half (52%) of the schools offered no intellectual disability content. For units of study that contained some auditable intellectual disability content, the area was taught on average for 3.6h per unit of study. Units were evenly distributed across the three years of study. Just three participating schools offered 50% of all units audited. Clinical assessment skills, and ethics and legal issues were most frequently taught, while human rights issues and preventative health were poorly represented. Only one nursing school involved a person with intellectual disability in content development or delivery., Conclusion: Despite significant unmet health needs of people with intellectual disability, there is considerable variability in the teaching of key intellectual disability content, with many gaps evident. Equipping nursing students with skills in this area is vital to building workforce capacity., (Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Health care-associated infections are serious complications impacting 2 million patients and accounting for approximately 100,000 deaths per year. In the present study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a new hand hygiene monitoring program (HHMP) and measured the sustainability of this effectiveness over a 1-year period., Methods: The HHMP consisted of 4 key components: extensive education, conspicuous and visible monitors, immediate feedback concerning compliance to health care workers, and real-time data dissemination to leadership. The HHMP was implemented in 2 hospital care units. Two different, but similar, departments served as controls, and hand hygiene compliance was monitored via the "secret shopper" technique. All 4 departments were followed for 12 months., Results: Both experimental departments showed statistically significant increases in hand hygiene compliance. Experimental department 1 increased compliance from 49% to an average of 90%, and experimental department 2 increased compliance from 60% to an average of 96%. Both experimental departments were able to sustain these results for at least 6 months. Compliance rates were significantly higher in the experimental departments compared with the control departments. No significant changes were seen in the control departments., Conclusions: These finding suggest that continuous monitoring by salient observers and immediate feedback are critical to the success of hand hygiene programs., (Copyright © 2014 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

People with an intellectual disability and their families experience poorer health care compared with the general population. Living with an intellectual disability is often challenged by coexisting complex and chronic conditions, such as gastrointestinal and respiratory conditions. A literature review was undertaken to document the needs of this vulnerable population, and consultation was undertaken with mothers of children with disabilities and with professionals working within disability services for people with an intellectual disability and their families. Based on this review, there is a need to increase the profile of people with an intellectual disability in the discourse surrounding chronic and complex conditions. Strategies such as guideline and competency development may better prepare health professions to care for people with disabilities and chronic and complex care needs and their families.

Today in Australian society the majority of families who have a child with a physical or intellectual disability will take care of that child across their lifespan. Mothers bear most of the burden associated with their child's care; however, little is known about the effect fulfilling this role has on the health of the mother. This interpretive research study was conducted with the aim of enhancing understanding of the health and wellness of mothers who have a child with an intellectual disability aged 0-5 years. Interview data were collected from five women living in a rural Australian city, and analysed using qualitative techniques. The research revealed that the mothers' health is backgrounded in time, space and the physical body, because their horizon of awareness is directed toward the needs of the child with a disability.