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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 3.6 h 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]