Continuing Medical Education for Primary Care Providers
Project Description:
Project Intent: The project team will develop an online continuing medical education (CME) program for primary care providers on effectively working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to promote their decision-making within health care.
Population(s) of interest: Primary care providers, with a focus on family physicians and family nurse practitioners in the state of Arizona. These are individuals who provide regular preventive health care counseling to Arizonans and who are likely to collaborate with adults with IDD in managing their health.
Impact on DD community: This project aligns with the Inclusion goal of the council as it is promoting active engagement in health care decision making among individuals with IDD. The project specifically aligns with Objective 3 within the Inclusion goal which focuses on decreasing barriers to community life for people with DD through education to promote inclusion. Additionally, in the 2020 ADDPC Arizona Priorities Survey Report, individuals with DD identified as a top priority "for medical care providers to talk with me in a way I can understand."
Data collected to indicate a need to address the problem: Formative work from Drs. Armin and Williamson's project identified the need to educate primary health care providers about their role in supported decision-making with women with developmental disabilities. In this work, Drs. Armin and Williamson learned that both health care providers and people with IDD note the tendency of physicians to overlook the "whole person" in favor of the individual's disability. Moreover, national research with primary care providers indicates they hold biases about people with disabilities 2 and need more information and support in working with patients with disabilities.
Keyword(s):
provider education; continuing medical education; supported decision-making
Core Function(s):
Continuing Education/Community Training
Area of Emphasis
Health-Related Activities, Other
Target Audience:
Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State, National
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
