Quality of Diagnosis and Treatment Plans After Using the 'Diagnostic Guideline for Anxiety and Challenging Behaviours' in People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Comparative Multiple Case Study Design.
BACKGROUND
People with intellectual disabilities often have a multitude of concurrent problems due to the combination of cognitive impairments, psychiatric disorders (particularly anxiety) and related challenging behaviours. Diagnoses in people with intellectual disabilities are complicated. This study evaluates the quality of the diagnoses and treatment plans after using a guideline that was developed to support professionals in their diagnostic tasks.


METHODS
A comparative multiple case study with an experimental and control condition, applying deductive analyses of diagnoses and treatment plans.


RESULTS
The analyses revealed that the number of diagnostic statements and planned treatment actions in the experimental group was significantly larger and more differentiated than in the control condition. In the control group, consequential harm and protective factors were hardly mentioned in diagnoses and treatment plans.


CONCLUSIONS
Working with the 'Diagnostic Guideline for Anxiety and CB' leads to improved diagnoses and treatment plans compared with care as usual.
Esdégé-Reigersdaal, Broek op Langedijk, The Netherlands.|Inholland University, Department of Health, Sports & Welfare / Cluster Nursing, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Addy
A
Pruijssers
Inholland University, Department of Health, Sports & Welfare / Cluster Nursing, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|VU University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, EGO Institute for Health and Care Research Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, Parnassia Academy, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Berno
B
van Meijel
Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Stichting Pergamijn, Echt, The Netherlands.
Marian
M
Maaskant
Esdégé-Reigersdaal, Broek op Langedijk, The Netherlands.
Noortje
N
Keeman
Centre for Health Services and Nursing Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.|Scientific Institute for Quality of Healthcare, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Theo
T
van Achterberg
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D000066553:Problem Behavior; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult
anxiety; challenging behaviour; diagnosis; guidelines; intellectual disabilities; treatment