Effectiveness of Online Training and Supervisor Feedback on Safe Eating and Drinking Practices for Individuals With Developmental Disabilities.
Online training alone lifts staff safety knowledge just as much as online training plus feedback.
01Research in Context
What this study did
McCulloch et al. (2020) tested an online course that teaches direct-care staff how to spot unsafe eating and drinking in adults with developmental disabilities. Half the staff got the course only. The other half got the course plus short feedback from a supervisor. The team wanted to know if the extra feedback helped staff learn more.
What they found
Both groups got better at spotting diet-order mistakes. The feedback group did not score higher than the course-only group. Online training alone was enough to boost staff knowledge.
How this fits with other research
Webb et al. (1999) also trained staff on food safety, but used in-person coaching plus feedback and saw big gains. Their feedback mattered because the trainer watched real meal prep and gave tips on the spot.
Aclan et al. (2017) found that parents needed feedback to run feeding protocols correctly at home. Again, feedback was key.
The new online study flips the script: feedback added nothing. The difference is the format. In-person or home settings give rich, real-time practice. A short Zoom comment after an online slide is too weak to matter.
Why it matters
If you need to train many staff fast, assign the online safe-eating module and skip the extra supervisor calls. You will save hours of supervision time without losing skill gain. Save your feedback moments for hands-on tasks like tube-feeding or choking rescue where live coaching still counts.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Dysphagia is common in individuals with developmental disabilities. Little research exists on the impact of trainings aimed at improving Direct Care Staff's (DCS) use of safe eating and drinking practices. This article presents two studies using pre-and postexperimental design, evaluating online training to improve DCSs' knowledge and ability to identify nonadherence to diet orders. A pilot study (n = 18) informed improvements to the intervention. The follow-up study (n = 64) compared those receiving training with those receiving training plus supervisor feedback. There was no significant difference between groups after training. Both groups increased in knowledge and identification of nonadherence to diet orders. Online training may be an effective tool for training DCS in safe eating and drinking practices.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-58.2.111