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

Introduction: Delivery of high quality healthcare to people with intellectual disability requires nurses with specialised skills. In Australia, the roles and responsibilities of nurses caring for people with intellectual disability continue to evolve. In order to plan for the development of the role, it is timely to explore what is known about how nurses working in this specialised area currently practice. Aim: To identify the specialist role/s that nurses perform and the specialist skills that nurses use when caring for people with intellectual disability. Methods: Adhering to the ‘Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses: The PRISMA Statement’, various subject headings were used to systematically search six electronic databases for articles published in English between 2000 and 2017. A total of 27 articles were reviewed. Results: The literature demonstrates that similarities exist between the physical care delivered to people with intellectual disability and that delivered to people without intellectual disability. However, skills in the areas of communication, advocacy and person‐centred care differ between these two groups. Discussion: Our findings suggest that the skill set of the specialist intellectual disability nurse is not uniquely technical but it is uniquely relational that incorporate increased patience and resilience when developing relationships with the people they care for. Conclusion: This review has provided insights into the main differences in the skills required when working with people with intellectual disability compared to working with those without. However, minimal literature was identified that adequately describes what is unique about the performance of the role of specialised intellectual disability nurses – especially in Australia. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Understanding the skills required of nurses caring for people with intellectual disability provides the opportunity for more nurses to develop these specialised relational skills and for this branch of nursing to attract professional recognition that is currently limited.