title: Supporting patients who have intellectual disabilities: a survey investigating staff training needs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article reports on a small exploratory survey aimed at establishing the perceived training needs of palliative care staff related to supporting people with intellectual disabilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaires were collected from a sample of 46 palliative care staff. Respondents were asked to describe 'worrying issues' about supporting a person with intellectual disabilities. Answers were analysed using content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most respondents (37, 80%) highlighted communication as a concern. Other major issues included assessment and symptom control, patient comprehension, empowerment and ethical issues/consent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Communication and symptom assessment can be challenging, particularly in people with limited verbal communication skills. Palliative care staff need to be aware of the range of communication methods used by people with intellectual disabilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a lack of information and training materials around intellectual disabilities for palliative care staff. This needs to be addressed. More work is needed to develop appropriate training in this area.
authors.affiliation: St George's University of London, Department of Mental Health (Learning Disability), Jenner Wing, Cranmer Terrace, London SE17 0RE, UK. ituffrey@sgul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tuffrey-Wijne
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hollins
authors.forename: Leopold
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Curfs
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000451:nursing*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires