Evidence and Practice
Obesity and nutrition: supporting positive dietary behaviour change in people with learning disabilities
Forensic risk assessment in people with learning disabilities: principles and process
Promoting oral health for people with learning disabilities
Clinical
Forensic risk assessment in people with learning disabilities: principles and process
Why you should read this article: • To refresh your knowledge of the principles of forensic risk assessment • To recognise the benefits of, and the different evidence-based approaches to, forensic risk assessment • To increase your understanding of risk formulation and the development of a tailored risk management plan While forensic healthcare is a highly specialised area of clinical practice, many learning disability nurses will, over the course of their careers, be required to provide care to people who have had contact with the criminal justice system. Robust risk assessment and risk management systems are central to ensuring the well-being and safety of people with learning disabilities who have forensic needs. Although the core assessment skills required to undertake forensic risk assessments are embedded in nurses’ skill set, learning disability nurses need to develop their knowledge and understanding of how to apply these skills in forensic practice. This article explores the principles of forensic risk assessments and the elements of the forensic risk assessment process as a foundation to risk formulation. The author uses a fictitious case study to illustrate forensic risk assessment, risk formulation and the development of a tailored risk management plan.
Promoting oral health for people with learning disabilities
Why you should read this article: • To refresh your knowledge of risk factors for suboptimal oral health in people with learning disabilities • To recognise the importance of education and training for healthcare professionals and carers to support oral health for people with learning disabilities • To read about interventions that can be used to support access to dental care for people with learning disabilities People with learning disabilities have poorer oral health compared with the general population. Risk factors for suboptimal oral health in this group include diet, reliance on others for oral care and barriers to accessing dental care. This article discusses these risk factors and considers the importance of education and training for carers and healthcare professionals, including dentists and dental students, to enhance oral health in people with learning disabilities. The author uses a fictional case study to illustrate some of the challenges experienced by people with learning disabilities in accessing oral care and how the use of interventions such as desensitisation programmes, as well as reasonable adjustments, can help address these challenges.
How to support adherence to medicines among people with learning disabilities
Why you should read this article: • To recognise the importance of education, reasonable adjustments and medication reviews in supporting optimal medicines adherence in people with learning disabilities • To enhance your awareness of factors that contribute to suboptimal medicines adherence in people with learning disabilities • To acknowledge the importance of involving family or carers in supporting medicines adherence Rationale and key points People with learning disabilities often have long-term conditions that require the regular use of medicines. Medicines adherence can be particularly challenging in this population and support with taking medicines is often not provided in a way that meets people’s needs. Suboptimal medicines adherence can negatively affect the health outcomes of people with learning disabilities, which are already poorer than those of the general population. • Achieving optimal medicines adherence among people with learning disabilities requires a multi-component strategy that includes education, reasonable adjustments and medication reviews. • Factors that cause and/or contribute to suboptimal medicines adherence among people with learning disabilities include burdensome medicine regimens, medicines prescribed in unsuitable forms, overmedication and overprescribing, lack of medication reviews, lack of reasonable adjustments, suboptimal communication from healthcare professionals and suboptimal care coordination. • Family and carers are often those who administer medicines, so it is crucial to involve, educate and support them about the person’s medicine regimen so that they can help ensure the medicines are taken as prescribed. Reflective activity ‘ How to’ articles can help you to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of: • How this article might improve your practice when supporting a person with a learning disability to take their medicines as prescribed. • How you could use this information to educate nursing students or colleagues on the appropriate actions to take to support a person with a learning disability to take their medicines as prescribed.
Supporting people with learning disabilities and needle phobia to be vaccinated
How a desensitisation programme was used to prepare people for the COVID-19 vaccination
How to diagnose constipation in people with learning disabilities
Diagnosis can be complicated by behaviours of concern in this patient group
Exploring the experiences of fathers who have a child with a learning disability
A literature review showed the need for tailored services or interventions to support fathers
CPD articles
Obesity and nutrition: supporting positive dietary behaviour change in people with...
Why you should read this article: • To enhance your knowledge of the causes of, and risk factors for, obesity in people with learning disabilities • To acknowledge the importance of nutrition as a key controllable factor in preventing long-term conditions • To contribute towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD (UK readers) • To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers) Obesity is a major global concern and is more common among people with learning disabilities than in the general population. If unmanaged, obesity can lead or contribute to various long-term health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. People with learning disabilities often rely on support staff, families and carers to meet their individual nutritional needs, but care teams and families may lack adequate knowledge of public health recommendations about healthy diet and optimal nutrition. More needs to be done to enhance the diet, and subsequently improve the health outcomes, of people with learning disabilities. This article provides an overview of obesity in people with learning disabilities, including contributing factors, associated health conditions and nutritional considerations. It also details recommendations for nurses to promote a healthy diet and support positive dietary behaviour change in this population.
Rare epilepsy syndromes: understanding treatment goals and management challenges
How nurses can provide adequate care and support to service users, family members and carers
Supporting people with learning disabilities to attend GP appointments
Learning disability nurses' role in supporting people with learning disabilities in primary care
Distressed behaviour at the intersection of learning disability and neurodivergence
The need to reframe behaviours that challenge as expressions of distress or unmet needs
Conducting mental health assessments of people with learning disabilities
Advice on overcoming communication issues and cognitive impairments to conduct an effective assessment
Ensuring good communication when undertaking a health assessment
How a systematic assessment works in practice and skills nurses use to engage service users
Practice question
Learning disabilities: can arts and crafts help mental health?
Arts and crafts activities can stimulate discussion on mental health and well-being
Are therapeutic untruths acceptable when talking to a person with a learning disability?
While no one wants to tell direct lies, therapeutic untruths can be beneficial
What is health promotion and how can it be used with people with learning disabilities?
Tailoring health education to specific needs can empower people and reduce inequalities