Improving Communication for People with Learning Disabilitie

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Improving communication for people with learning disabilities
NS336 Godsell M, Scarborough K (2006) Improving communication for people with learning disabilities. Nursing Standard. 20, 30, 58-65. Date of acceptance: February 6 2006.

Summary
Patients with learning disabilities have higher healthcare risks than the general population. Health professionals need to develop skills that enable them to communicate effectively with this patient group. Identifying barriers to communication is the first step to reducing or removing them. Suggested strategies to improve healthcare access for patients with learning disabilities include: developing individualised health action plans, simplifying communication styles and providing accessible facilities and tailored resources.

learning activities you should be able to: Understand the impact of communication on interaction between healthcare providers and patients with learning disabilities. Describe the relationship between communication and the health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities. Identify strategies to improve communication between health providers and patients with learning disabilities.

Authors
Matthew Godsell and Kim Scarborough are senior lecturers, Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of the West of England, Bristol. Email: [e-mail]

Introduction
Learning disability is not a diagnosis but a term used to describe people with a wide range of strengths and needs. Eighty per cent of children and 60 per cent of adults with learning disabilities live with their families (Gravestock and Bouras 1997), and many people with learning disabilities exceed the

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