Sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att vårda personer med intellektuellfunktionsnedsättning. : En litteraturstudie

Sammanfattning: Background: People with Intellectual Disability (ID) run an increased risk of suffering from illness. Research has confirmed that people with intellectual disabilities are at greater risk than the rest of the population to being offered lower quality of care. The nurse has an ethical duty to have knowledge of what the diagnosis of ID means in order to provide person-centered care to people with ID.  Aim: The purpose of the literature review was to describe nurses’ experience of providing care to people with Intellectual Disability. Method: The literature study is based on ten scientific peer reviewed studies with qualitative study design. The databases used were Cinahl and Psycinfo. The quality of the studies included in the literature study are reviewed. The data analysis was conducted by condense, encode, systematizing and categorizing the material. Results: The analysis resulted in three main categories; The meaning of communication, The meaning of knowledge and The meaning of the organization. The category The meaning of communication is divided into four subcategories; Communication difficulties, Tools and strategies, Communication through a relative or personal assistant and Taking the role of representative. The category The meaning of knowledge consists of two subcategories; Theoretical knowledge and Practical experience. The category The meaning of the organization is also built up by two subcategories; Structural challenges and Increased workload. Conclusion: Nurses have experience of communication difficulties and of using different tools and strategies to make the communication work. Nurses express a need for more time, increased knowledge and more practical training opportunities in caring for people with ID. The results indicate that more time for the care meeting, improved structure around handover between healthcare professionals and clarification of the division of responsibilities and roles between nurses and personal assistants, are possible areas of improvement in the care of people with ID.