A Cross‐Sectional Survey of Reasonable Adjustments of Registered Nurse Care as an Example of Person‐Centred Care for People With Autism and/or Intellectual Disability in Australia

The concept of person‐centred care is embraced internationally as a fundamental aspiration for nursing and health professions more broadly. For many, person‐centred care is seen as a fundamental part of the art of nursing. The available research suggests that while an aspiration of the profession, person‐centred care is not actual nursing practice. A limited body of research has identified positive impacts on patient outcomes attributable to person‐centred care. In the context of care for people with autism and/or intellectual disability, reasonable adjustments are an example of person‐centred care. This national cross‐sectional survey aimed to determine the degree of awareness of the concept of reasonable adjustments, the types of self‐reported adjustments made, and the relationship between making adjustments and the individual factors of self‐efficacy, ambivalence, and role autonomy. From the 422 Australian registered nurse respondents, it was identified that 54% of respondents were aware of the concept of reasonable adjustments, and the majority did not report making person‐centred adjustments to practice for this group. Further, it was found that people with autism and/or intellectual disability are least likely to experience person‐centred care in acute hospitals and aged care contexts. It was identified that person‐centred care, indicated by the example of reasonable adjustments, is not the predominant current model of care as self‐reported by registered nurses in Australia. This is contrary to the current national standards for practice.