Standards for practice in intellectual and developmental disability nursing : a Delphi study

Background: The practice standards of specialist areas of nursing need to be distinctive and reflect contemporary practice. In the absence of intellectual and developmental disability content in curriculum design at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, nurses practising in this specialty area need a clear set of standards that guide their practice. Aim: To redevelop a contemporary set of practice standards by combining findings from a three-year research project with the Delphi technique to determine consensus. Methods: The Delphi technique was applied to a draft set of eight standards that were developed based on research generated by the project.