Direct service staff and their perceptions of psychotropic medication in non-institutional settings for people with intellectual disability.
Community support staff still feel clueless about psychotropic meds—plug a short training module into your next in-service.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Matson et al. (1999) asked 334 direct support staff in community homes about psychotropic meds. They used a survey to see how ready staff felt to watch for side effects and help clients take pills safely.
What they found
Most staff said they had little or no training on these drugs. They felt unsure how to spot problems or talk with doctors. The study calls this a big safety gap.
How this fits with other research
Wilson et al. (2023) fixed the gap. Their 2023 SPECTROM course gave support workers two short med-ed modules. Knowledge scores rose, showing training can work.
Libero et al. (2016) found the same worry in a different pill task. Residential staff scored only 44 % on safe tube-feeding med rules. Both papers show staff need clear, drug-specific training.
Weeden et al. (2010) extend the job to you. The review tells BCBAs to track behavior data before and after any med change. Your graphs can guide the doctor, filling the same readiness gap L et al. revealed.
Why it matters
If your team feels lost around meds, safety drops and errors rise. Add a ten-minute med-ed block to your next staff meeting. Use plain language handouts and role-play how to call the doctor. One small boost can close the gap L et al. warned us about.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Previous studies have surveyed a variety of service providers in school and institutional settings, and reported a pervasive lack of education and training with regard to the use of psychotropic medication in people with intellectual disability. Because an increasing number of people with intellectual disability are living in the community and since many of these people receive psychotropic medications, the present study extended research in this area by surveying direct service staff to determine their perceptions, knowledge and opinions with regard to the use of psychotropic medication in non-institutional settings for individuals with developmental disabilities. Consistent with the findings of previous studies, a majority of the 334 respondents in the present study reported that they had not received adequate training in the area of drug treatment The knowledge and skills deficits of direct service staff appear to represent a significant barrier to the appropriate monitoring and management of pharmacotherapy for individuals with intellectual disability. Therefore, a systematic training programme to educate direct service staff about psychotropic medication needs to be designed, implemented and disseminated on a broad scale.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 1999 · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2788.1999.00182.x