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Communicate CARE

Communicate CARE

Guidance for Person-Centred Care of Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Introduction

This tip-sheet offers guidance to family physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals for a person-centred health assessment of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It provides information on best practices to prepare for appointments and communicate and plan interventions using a person-centred approach to shared decision making.

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Clinical leads

Karen McNeil (MD CCFP FCFP), is a family physician and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has been practicing family medicine for 29 years, with Dalhousie Family Medicine 14 years and with special focus on adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities for the last 10 years.

headshot of karen mcneil

Kerry Boyd (MD, FRCPC), is a psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience working with teams that serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan. She currently works at McMaster Children’s Hospital and Bethesda Services. She is committed to improving the care of persons living with developmental disabilities through education. She is an Associate Clinical Professor for the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. As an AMS Phoenix Project Fellow, Dr Boyd rallied a network of partners to develop the Curriculum of Caring for People with Developmental Disabilities to create web-based resources found at CommunicateCARE.machealth.ca.

headshot of kerry boyd

Authors

Elizabeth Bell, MHSc. (Bioethics), BScOT, Director kidsTHERAPY and Bell Therapy Services, Toronto, Ontario

John Heng, MA, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Department of Interdisciplinary studies, King’s University College, London, Ontario

William Sullivan, MD CCFP(COE) FCFP PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto; staff physician in Medical Services at Surrey Place and the Family Practice Unit at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario

Janet Vogt, PhD, Manager and Senior Research Associate, Surrey Place, Toronto, Ontario

The development of this tool started at a colloquium in Toronto, Spring 2018, and continued through multiple teleconferences and editing meetings. Working group members included: Elizabeth Bell, John Heng, Karen McNeil, William Sullivan and Janet Vogt. Kerry Boyd joined as a collaborator and assisted with editing.

The same literature search and evidence that supported the guideline Communicating Effectively in Primary care of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: 2018 Canadian consensus guidelines, Canadian Family Physician, Volume 64(4), April 2018 and the literature search for the article Circles of Care for Adults with IDD: Communication, Collaboration and Coordination in the special issue on primary care of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Canadian Family Physician, Vol 64 (suppl 2): S1-78, April 2018 support this tool. The literature that had a clear influence on information in this tool are listed.

This is an update to a previous version of this tool, published as Communicating effectively with people with developmental disabilities. In: Sullivan WF, Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Initiative Scientific and Editorial Staff, editors. Tools for the primary care of people with developmental disabilities. Toronto: MUMS Guideline Clearing House; 2011, p.18-20.

  • Supporting materials
  • Meet the team

    Clinical leads

    Karen McNeil (MD CCFP FCFP), is a family physician and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has been practicing family medicine for 29 years, with Dalhousie Family Medicine 14 years and with special focus on adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities for the last 10 years.

    headshot of karen mcneil

    Kerry Boyd (MD, FRCPC), is a psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience working with teams that serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan. She currently works at McMaster Children’s Hospital and Bethesda Services. She is committed to improving the care of persons living with developmental disabilities through education. She is an Associate Clinical Professor for the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. As an AMS Phoenix Project Fellow, Dr Boyd rallied a network of partners to develop the Curriculum of Caring for People with Developmental Disabilities to create web-based resources found at CommunicateCARE.machealth.ca.

    headshot of kerry boyd

    Authors

    Elizabeth Bell, MHSc. (Bioethics), BScOT, Director kidsTHERAPY and Bell Therapy Services, Toronto, Ontario

    John Heng, MA, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Department of Interdisciplinary studies, King’s University College, London, Ontario

    William Sullivan, MD CCFP(COE) FCFP PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto; staff physician in Medical Services at Surrey Place and the Family Practice Unit at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario

    Janet Vogt, PhD, Manager and Senior Research Associate, Surrey Place, Toronto, Ontario

  • About the tool development

    The development of this tool started at a colloquium in Toronto, Spring 2018, and continued through multiple teleconferences and editing meetings. Working group members included: Elizabeth Bell, John Heng, Karen McNeil, William Sullivan and Janet Vogt. Kerry Boyd joined as a collaborator and assisted with editing.

    The same literature search and evidence that supported the guideline Communicating Effectively in Primary care of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: 2018 Canadian consensus guidelines, Canadian Family Physician, Volume 64(4), April 2018 and the literature search for the article Circles of Care for Adults with IDD: Communication, Collaboration and Coordination in the special issue on primary care of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Canadian Family Physician, Vol 64 (suppl 2): S1-78, April 2018 support this tool. The literature that had a clear influence on information in this tool are listed.

  • Revision history

    This is an update to a previous version of this tool, published as Communicating effectively with people with developmental disabilities. In: Sullivan WF, Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Initiative Scientific and Editorial Staff, editors. Tools for the primary care of people with developmental disabilities. Toronto: MUMS Guideline Clearing House; 2011, p.18-20.

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