Caring for the Individual with Intellectual and Development Disability; Anesthesia Guidance and a Change of Practice (1 Class A CE)

Research consistently demonstrated healthcare gaps for patients with Intellectual and Development Disability (IDD). Individuals with IDD comprise a population of 6.5 million in the U.S. (Peacock, 2019). A staggering 310 million major surgeries are performed each year, with 40 to 50 million surgeries in the USA (Okoro et al., 2018). The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services selected data from adults across disability types. Although 26% of the world’s population lives with disabilities (CDC and Prevention, 2018); the healthcare needs of this population are unmet, in large part to a lack of proper education and training of healthcare professionals about IDD.

The absence of professional training on disability competency issues for healthcare practitioners remains a major barrier to healthcare (NCD, 2009). Disability competency is not part of core curriculum requirements for accreditation or receipt of federal funding for most medical and dental schools and other professional healthcare training institutions (NCD, 2009). These factors explain why healthcare professionals lack the skills to help improve and respond appropriately to patients with IDD. The person with IDD should be treated as any other person with a co-morbidity or physiological compromise, guided by specific guidelines to improve the perioperative outcomes of persons with IDD.