Nursing care provision for people with intellectual disabilities in institutions: A Taiwanese perspective

Background: Little attention has been paid to the healthcare workforce in determining healthcare management for people with intellectual disability (ID) in institutions in Taiwan. This paper investigated the profile of the healthcare workforce among institutions caring for people with ID, and examined differences, particularly in relation to nursing staff numbers, between the various types of settings providing care. Method: Data were provided by 121 institutions caring for people with ID in Taiwan. Structured questionnaires were completed at these institutions, providing a cross-sectional survey. Results: Nurses were the main health professionals employed in institutions. Even so, more than half the institutions (52.1%) did not have a nurse on their staff. The larger the size of the institution, the more likely it was that nursing staff were employed there. With regard to the relationship between institutional operating structure and the employment of nursing personnel, public institutions were more likely to employ nurses than private institutions or privately operated state-owned institutions (POSOE). However there was no statistically significant difference among the various operating structures in terms of the ratio of nurses to people with ID. Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of examining the regulation of an appropriate ratio of nurses: people with ID in institutions.