Direct support professional perspectives on the value of virtual healthcare for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Trends over four years.

Background: Direct support professionals (DSPs) often play a critical role in supporting healthcare interactions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) but little is known about their experience supporting virtual healthcare.

Objective: This study explored utilization of virtual care and DSP experiences of supporting virtual care at four time points in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: DSPs in Ontario were invited to participate in an online survey in 2020 (n = 867), 2021 (n = 428), 2022 (n = 698) and 2023 (n = 603).

Understanding Barriers to Mental Health Supports During the Pandemic for Workers in Intellectual Disability Services.

Background: Workers in the intellectual disability sector encounter significant work-related stress impacting their mental health. This study explores the barriers faced by these workers when accessing mental health support during the pandemic.

Methods: 1831 surveys were completed by intellectual disability support workers from Ontario, Canada between 2021 and 2023.

Evaluation of an Interprofessional Educational Intervention in Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disability for Health and Social Service Trainees.

Objective: Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience high rates of poor mental health and challenges accessing timely and high-quality services. There is limited interprofessional training on mental health care for this population.

Methods: A virtual, synchronous program based on the Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Ontario IDD Mental Health program was developed for health and social service trainees.

Exploring the Connection between Social Housing and Employment: A Scoping Review.

Adequate housing is a social determinant of health and well-being, providing stability from which people can engage in important life activities, including self-care and productivity. Social housing is a system-level intervention that aims to provide affordable housing to people vulnerable to experiencing social and economic marginalisation. Given the importance of employment to social-economic status and overall health and well-being, we sought to better understand the available knowledge and research related to employment and living in a social housing environment.

Strengthening collaboration for interprofessional primary care teams: Insights and key learnings from six disciplinary perspectives.

We provide a case example of the collaborative process required to plan and implement initiatives to enhance team-based primary care, drawing on experiences of six disciplines working together to create new curricula as part of Team Primary Care. Recommendations to strengthen collaboration from our team include building capacity requires an understanding of unique disciplinary roles and understanding of unique elements of primary care; competencies have to be specifically articulated and demonstrated within a primary care context; interprofessional education within and across disciplines is needed; establishing primary care competencies would provide a common set of skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes to form a foundation in which to build the capacity of the interprofessional primary care workforce; and interprofessional collaboration is needed in implementing team-based primary care in practice and in preparing an interprofessional workforce prepared to leverage the expertise of the entire team.

Bridging the gap: national virtual education programme for professionals caring for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the time of COVID-19.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the mental health of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). During this period of uncertainty and need for up-to-date information, various virtual training programmes demonstrated the role of tele-mentoring programmes.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to describe the educational evaluation of the National Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes - Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ECHO-AIDD), a programme for service providers working with adults with IDD during COVID-19.

Identifying Research Priorities to Promote the Well-Being of Family Caregivers of Canadians with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities: A Pilot Delphi Study.

Current programming and resources aimed at supporting the well-being of family caregivers often fail to address considerations unique to those caring for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDDs). As a result, many caregivers of people with IDD feel isolated, stressed, and burnt out. A targeted research agenda informed by key stakeholders is needed and would allow research teams to coordinate resources, talents, and efforts to progress family caregiver well-being research in this area quickly and effectively.

Stakeholder Perspectives on Interprofessional Primary Care for Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Ontario, Canada.

Access to high-quality primary care has been identified as a pressing need for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Interprofessional primary care teams offer comprehensive and coordinated approaches to primary care delivery and are well-positioned to address the needs of adults with IDD. The overall aim of this article is to describe the current provision of interprofessional primary care for adults with IDD from the perspectives of patients, caregivers, and health providers.

Examining utility and feasibility of implementing patient-reported outcome measures in occupational therapy primary care practice.

Introduction: Occupational therapists are increasingly part of interprofessional primary care teams, helping to expand primary care to meet client needs. Effectiveness of occupational therapy services is difficult to determine with currently collected data, and little is known about the best tools to use or how to integrate tools into practice. We explored the utility and feasibility of implementing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) within occupational therapy primary care practice.

Virtual Education Program to Support Providers Caring for People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Rapid Development and Evaluation Study.

Background: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at increased health-related risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual training programs that support providers in caring for the physical and mental health needs of this population, as well provide psychological support to the providers themselves, are needed during the pandemic.

Objective: This paper describes the design, delivery, and evaluation of a virtual educational COVID-19-focused Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes program to support providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in caring for the mental health of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Organizational attributes of interprofessional primary care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in ontario, Canada: a multiple case study.

Background: Access to high-quality primary care has been identified as a pressing need for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Adults with IDD live with complex physical and mental health conditions, use health services differently than the general population and continue to face challenges when accessing health services. Interprofessional primary care teams offer comprehensive and coordinated approaches to primary care delivery and are well-positioned to address the needs of adults with IDD and other vulnerable populations.

Virtual health care for adult patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A scoping review.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to an abrupt shift to virtual health care for many patients, including adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Approaches to virtual care that are successful for people without IDD may need to be adapted for adults with IDD.

Objective: The aim of this scoping review was to examine what is known about virtual health care for adults with IDD and in particular, the impact of virtual delivery on access to care for this population.

Predictors of worker mental health in intellectual disability services during COVID-19.

Background: Workers supporting adults with intellectual disabilities experience significant stress in their essential role during COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of these workers and determine predictors of emotional distress.

Methods: Eight hundred and thirty-eight workers supporting adults with intellectual disabilities completed an online survey about their work during COVID-19 and their mental health in July 2020.

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and interprofessional, team-based primary health care: a scoping review.

Objective: This scoping review aimed to examine the state of the evidence for interprofessional, team-based primary health care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Introduction: Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are a complex, vulnerable population known to experience health inequities. Interprofessional primary health care teams are recommended to improve access to comprehensive and coordinated health care for these individuals.

Measuring the performance of interprofessional primary health care teams: understanding the teams perspective.

Aim: The aim of the study was to describe practices that support collaboration in interprofessional primary health care teams, and identify performance indicators perceived to measure the impact of this collaboration from the perspective of interprofessional health providers.

Background: Despite the surge of interprofessional primary health care models implemented across Canada, there is little evidence as to whether or not the intended outcomes of primary health care teams have been achieved. Part of the challenge is determining the most appropriate measures that can demonstrate the value of collaborative care.

Interprofessional team-based primary health care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: This review aims to examine the state of the evidence for interprofessional team-based primary health care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Introduction: Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have complex health needs, as well as experience health service inequities. Interprofessional primary healthcare teams offer access to comprehensive primary health care and are recommended as an approach to improve the health of this population.

Implementation of Health Links coordinated care plans for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Cross-sectoral pilot program.

Problem Addressed: Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are a complex population that could benefit from improved care coordination across health and social sectors, as they experience poorer health and have higher rates of emergency department use and hospitalization due to ambulatory care-sensitive conditions.

Objective Of Program: To pilot a novel, enhanced model of care coordination for complex patients with IDD.

Program Description: Health Links is a provincial care-coordination program for patients with complex health care needs.