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Curriculum in IDD Healthcare eLearn
IDD Healthcare Fundamentals for Clinicians, by a Clinician
Uniquely designed for immediate use by Medical and Nursing Schools Allied Health Professional Schools Residency Programs Practicing Physicians Nurse Practitioners Physician Assistants Practicing Nurses Allied Health Professionals
Practicing clinicians are calling for it to be “mandatory for all medical students.” The Curriculum in IDD Healthcare (CIDDH) teaches the fundamentals of IDD healthcare, providing learners with pertinent, practical information that can be used immediately in their practices to improve outcomes, reduce suffering, and prevent unnecessary death in their patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
This course is currently incorporated by medical and nurse practitioner schools, state agencies, and numerous clinical organizations and individual physicians who desire to improve clinical knowledge in this area.
- Unlock the language of behavior and how it can point to specific underlying medical causes
- Improve communication between clinicians and supporters of people with IDD to facilitate better healthcare
- Learn from real-life case studies
Course Overview
- 5 CME / 6 CEU Credit Hours
- Duration: 4.5 hours
The Curriculum in IDD Healthcare consists of 6 modules that teach practical skills that improve clinical competence in the provision of healthcare to people with IDD.
Numerous, real-world case studies are used to illustrate concepts that help students and clinicians at any level to improve their skillset and provide competent, compassionate healthcare to people with complex neurodevelopmental, medical and mental health conditions.
Numerous, real-world case studies are used to illustrate concepts that help students and clinicians at any level to improve their skillset and provide competent, compassionate healthcare to people with complex neurodevelopmental, medical and mental health conditions.
Synopsis by Module
Module Length: 37 Minutes
Diagnosis, causes, prevalence, and classifications are covered. The history of IDD treatment and the reasons for the move from institutional to community-based support are covered and much more.
Module Length: 1 Hour 2 Minutes
A discussion of common medical issues, their presentations and general treatment options are covered. This discussion includes the “Fatal 5+” – Constipation, Aspiration, Dehydration, Seizures and Sepsis, as well as other topics like GERD, osteoporosis, contraception, feeding tubes, wheelchairs, end-of-life considerations and basic dental issues.
Module Length: 34 Minutes
Using real-life case studies, this module effectively illustrates how numerous challenging behaviors may point to specific, underlying medical conditions in people with IDD. Topics include head-banging, refusing meals, hand-mouth behavior, aggressiveness in particular situations, resisting lying down or sleeping, pica and many more.
Module Length: 46 Minutes
This module covers the challenges of diagnosing mental health conditions in people with IDD. It covers how certain non-verbal behaviors may point to a mental health condition and the importance of evaluating for underlying medical conditions before instituting treatment for adverse behaviors with psychotropic medications.
Module Length: 31 Minutes
This talk covers topics including understanding the differing baselines of people with IDD, fostering good communication between healthcare providers and support staff, speaking TO the person who is the patient rather than directing communication to the support staff, how to garner the most helpful information from support staff, and understanding the structure of the team model of support.
Module Length: 34 Minutes
While case studies are sprinkled through the other presentations, this enjoyable and highly interactive workshop-type module focuses on specific cases to drive home the previously discussed topics illustrating practical applications of the information.
About the Author
Curriculum in IDD Healthcare was developed and is delivered by Dr. Craig Escudé, who has over 20 years of clinical experience in treating people with severe and profound levels of IDD and extensive experience in training hundreds of clinicians, case managers, social workers, direct support professionals and others who work in this field. He is also one of a handful of Fellows of the American Academy of Family Physicians (FAAFP) and the American Academy of Developmental Medicine (FAADM).
Continuing Education Credit Information
The AAFP has reviewed Curriculum in IDD Healthcare and deemed it acceptable for up to 5.00 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credits. Term of Approval is from 03/04/2024 to 03/03/2025. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
AAFP Prescribed credit is accepted by the American Medical Association as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™ toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. When applying for the AMA PRA, Prescribed credit earned must be reported as Prescribed, not as Category 1.
AAFP Prescribed credit is accepted by the following organizations. Please contact them directly about how participants should report the credit they earned.
- American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
- National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
- American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
- American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB)
- American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA)
- American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM)
- American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM)
- American Board of Preventative Medicine (ABPM)
- American Board of Urology (ABU)
Here is a list of additional health professional organizations that accept AAFP Prescribed Credit CMEs: Health Professional Organizations Agreement | AAFP. Eligibility to use these credits as continuing education for other disciplines would be determined by individual licensing boards.
Nurses can receive 6.0 contact hours approved by an Approved Approver Unit regulated by rules and regulations outlined by the Ohio Board of Nursing (OBN). Nurses should always check with the state nursing board where they practice to ensure the OBN contact hours are accepted for continuing education credit.
IntellectAbility Recognized Provider in IDD Healthcare Award
Besides earning valuable Physician CME or Nursing CEU credit, clinicians who complete the course are eligible to receive the IntellectAbility Recognized Provider in IDD Healthcare award indicating their commitment to providing quality healthcare to people with IDD.
Unlock the Language of Behavior
Learn the fundamentals of IDD healthcare and gain pertinent, practical information that can be used immediately in healthcare practices.
Studies & Testimonials Validate the Efficacy of this Course
Independent, Peer-Reviewed Study
An independent, peer-reviewed study demonstrated that the Curriculum in IDD Healthcare is effective in improving clinicians’ knowledge of IDD healthcare.
From the study’s authors, John P. Bartkowski and Xiaohe Xu:
“Highly effective results were especially evident in measures of the program overall, where the presentations were rated with respect to expectations, improvement of a trainee’s medical practice, presenter knowledge, and willingness to recommend the training to others.”
“CIDDH often proved to be quite effective. In many cases, superlative (highest possible) ratings outnumbered the combination of mid-range and deficient ratings by a factor of 3 to 1, meeting or exceeding the 75% superlative response threshold.”
“By addressing the unique needs of individuals with IDD, healthcare training programs like CIDDH can reduce health disparities and improve the quality of life among patients with IDD.”
Study by William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine
A study was conducted by William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine about the efficacy of IntellectAbility’s Curriculum in IDD Healthcare eLearning course in teaching medical students about the fundamentals of IDD Healthcare.
Based on the data, the researchers concluded the online course was successful in increasing the student’s knowledge of IDD healthcare, confidence in treating people with IDD, and maximum ability to deliver effective medical care to people with IDD.
Here is a graph depicting the results of the study taken from the poster presented at the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine’s Education Leaders 2021 conference.
Clinician Testimonials
I highly recommend the Curriculum in IDD Healthcare to any nurse. I have had rave reviews from new nurses to veterans. The courses are educational and use person-first language and show great respect for individuals and their care team. I hope as clinicians learn more about disabilities, they will also pick up this humane approach.
This course should be mandatory for all medical students. [It] would also benefit mid-level providers and nurses - in fact, providers from every discipline and level of experience would benefit from this course!
All medical providers and dentists should be required to take this course, and in my current job assisting IDD clients, I had no training or exposure to IDD healthcare. This is a wonderfully condensed program full of valuable information.
High Yield Material, flexible completion time. This is great information for someone new to caring for IDD patients. Maybe in a few years you could do a second level course!"
These course were great. They were exactly what we were looking for. Thank you for doing this! As we grow we will certainly have all our providers take your modules.
I highly recommend the Curriculum in IDD Healthcare to any nurse. I have had rave reviews from new nurses to veterans. The courses are educational and use person-first language and show great respect for individuals and their care team. I hope as clinicians learn more about disabilities, they will also pick up this humane approach.
This course should be mandatory for all medical students. [It] would also benefit mid-level providers and nurses - in fact, providers from every discipline and level of experience would benefit from this course!
All medical providers and dentists should be required to take this course, and in my current job assisting IDD clients, I had no training or exposure to IDD healthcare. This is a wonderfully condensed program full of valuable information.
High Yield Material, flexible completion time. This is great information for someone new to caring for IDD patients. Maybe in a few years you could do a second level course!"
These course were great. They were exactly what we were looking for. Thank you for doing this! As we grow we will certainly have all our providers take your modules.
Medical Student Testimonials
I really liked the way the information was presented (flow of information, conciseness, relevant examples from experiences, etc.) The quality of information in this online course is one the best i have had!
After completing these modules, I appreciate the new perspective on diagnosing and managing healthcare for those with IDD. This training shares so much knowledge that builds upon what we have covered in medical school lectures. I appreciate this opportunity to learn more about IDD and how to adjust what we have learned in the classroom to better diagnose and treat these patients. It provided an entirely different perspective reliant on visual and behavioral cues. This exceeded my expectations. Thank you.
The modules were easy to use. The material was professional and well presented.
The layout was very well organized. I liked how it provided lists of questions and things to consider when dealing with IDD patients. There was good practical advice about things we could start asking immediately.
I really liked the way the information was presented (flow of information, conciseness, relevant examples from experiences, etc.) The quality of information in this online course is one the best i have had!
After completing these modules, I appreciate the new perspective on diagnosing and managing healthcare for those with IDD. This training shares so much knowledge that builds upon what we have covered in medical school lectures. I appreciate this opportunity to learn more about IDD and how to adjust what we have learned in the classroom to better diagnose and treat these patients. It provided an entirely different perspective reliant on visual and behavioral cues. This exceeded my expectations. Thank you.
The modules were easy to use. The material was professional and well presented.
The layout was very well organized. I liked how it provided lists of questions and things to consider when dealing with IDD patients. There was good practical advice about things we could start asking immediately.
Contact Us Today to Get Started
Better diagnose and treat patients with pertinent and practical advice that you can immediately implement.
When We Educate Clinicians, We Save Lives
“It’s more than just learning about how to treat medical conditions commonly seen in people with IDD like aspiration pneumonia and bowel obstruction. Physicians should be taught about the support structure for people with IDD, how to facilitate better communication and, most importantly, about the often-missed direct relationship of various adverse behaviors to treatable, underlying medical causes.”
Improve Healthcare for Anyone Who Has Challenges in Communicating Verbally
Watch this two minute video to learn how Curriculum in IDD Healthcare eLearn imparts vital skills and information to improve healthcare for anyone who has challenges in communicating verbally. This includes people with dementia, traumatic brain injury, those who are aging, children and the group for which the course was specifically designed, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The National Council on Disability Supports IDD Training for All Healthcare Professional Schools
One of the four major components of the National Council on Disability’s Health Equity Framework includes: “requiring comprehensive disability clinical-care curricula in all US medical, nursing and other healthcare professional schools and requiring disability competency education and training of medical, nursing and other healthcare professionals.” Click here to read more.
Learn More About the Need to Educate Healthcare Providers in IDD Healthcare
- Click here to read real accounts from nurses about negative physician encounters.
- Click here to watch a 30-minute recorded webinar delivered by our President and this course’s author, Dr. Craig Escudé.
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