A Cross-Sectional Survey of Reasonable Adjustments of Registered Nurse Care as an Example of Person-Centred Care for People With Autism and/or Intellectual Disability in Australia

The concept of person-centred care is embraced internationally as a fundamental aspiration for nursing and health professions more broadly. For many, person-centred care is seen as a fundamental part of the art of nursing. The available research suggests that while an aspiration of the profession, person-centred care is not actual nursing practice. A limited body of research has identified positive impacts on patient outcomes attributable to person-centred care. In the context of care for people with autism and/or intellectual disability, reasonable adjustments are an example of person-centred care. This national cross-sectional survey aimed to determine the degree of awareness of the concept of reasonable adjustments, the types of self-reported adjustments made, and the relationship between making adjustments and the individual factors of self-efficacy, ambivalence, and role autonomy. From the 422 Australian registered nurse respondents, it was identified that 54% of respondents were aware of the concept of reasonable adjustments, and the majority did not report making person-centred adjustments to practice for this group. Further, it was found that people with autism and/or intellectual disability are least likely to experience person-centred care in acute hospitals and aged care contexts. It was identified that person-centred care, indicated by the example of reasonable adjustments, is not the predominant current model of care as self-reported by registered nurses in Australia. This is contrary to the current national standards for practice.