Health Disparities in Primary Care: Caring for the People with Development Disability

Date of Award

2005

Document Type

Thesis

College/School

College of Nursing

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Program Concentration

Family Nurse Practitioner

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to examine the reasons why disparities exist in the primary care of persons with mental retardation, and to explore what can be done to reduce the disparities. A comprehensive review of the literature was completed to explore the current state of health care for persons with developmental disabilities in various developed countries. Through the review it was found that disparities existed due to inadequate practitioner training and education, practitioner resistance towards annual health checks, communication difficulties with patients, caretakers, and specialists, and lack of practitioner awareness of community resources and the current literature. The literature review revealed a variety of implications for family nurse practitioners and other providers of general care. Suggestions include the development of more comprehensive undergraduate and post-graduate education programs; enhancement of practitioner-patient communication strategies, stressing the importance of health promotion and regular health checks; and providing practitioners easy access to community resources, specialists, and current literature relating to developmental disability.

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