Optimizing Care for Hospitalized Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

This interprofessional educational program is designed to prepare healthcare professionals to deliver equitable, person-centered, and evidence-based care to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Through a series of targeted modules, participants will explore essential topics including behavioral and mental health, communication strategies, pain assessment, sensory-friendly care, clinical deterioration, discharge planning, and the impact of bias on care delivery. 

To reinforce learning and promote synthesis of knowledge, the program concludes with a comprehensive case study. This case study presents a realistic clinical scenario involving a patient with IDD and challenges learners to apply concepts from all modules. Participants will work through behavioral management, communication barriers, pain assessment, sensory needs, bias mitigation, early recognition of deterioration, and discharge planning—demonstrating their ability to integrate and apply the full scope of program objectives in a coordinated, patient-centered approach.