Health and Safety; Emergency Issues
Healthcare and AAC
Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient – and Family – Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals: support for hospital personnel to implement New Joint Commission Standard on Effective Communication by the Joint Commission. Information on laws and regulations, links to information, model policies, and educational tools. Requires Adobe Reader for download. http://www.jointcommission.org/NR/rdonlyres/87C00B33-FCD0-4D37-A4EB-21791FB3969C/0/ARoadmapforHospitalsfinalversion727.pdf
Books Beyond Words. Full color picture books. Titles include Getting On With Epilepsy, Going into Hospital, Going to the Doctor, Going to Out-Patients, Keeping Healthy Down Below, Looking After My Balls, Looking After My Breasts, Looking After My Heart, Michelle Finds a Voice. http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/publications/booksbeyondwords.aspx
How to Use Books Beyond Words. Books Beyond Words are full-colour picture books that address some of the problems in understanding experienced by people with intellectual and communication difficulties. BOOKS BEYOND WORDS: Telling the Whole Story in Pictures by Sheila Hollins (UK). http://www.intellectualdisability.info/how_to/beyond_words.htm
Call to Action: Improving Care to Communication Vulnerable Patients, Joint Commission. [The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 18,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States.] Handout from webinar; includes tools and strategies for communication across health care settings. http://www.patientprovidercommunication.org/files/CommunicationVulnerableWebinar.pdf
Health Impairment, Critical Illness and AAC — Additions ICU-Talk, A Communication Aid for Intubated Intensive Care Patients, F. MacAulay et al, Ninewells Hospital and University of Dundee, Scotland, UK. Describes device, features, ratings from use, design needs for future. "The results collated so far have confirmed that the ICU-Talk software is easy to use and requires very little training." http://www.computing.dundee.ac.uk/staff/ricketts/cv/preprints/Assets_2002_ICUTalk_preprint.pdf
Learning about Intellectual Disabilities and Health, St. George’s University of London. http://www.intellectualdisability.info/how_to/index.htm Clinical communication guidelines: http://www.intellectualdisability.info/how_to/clin_comms.htm
Nonverbal Complaints / Clues, Ruth Myers, MD, James Salbenblatt, MD, Melodie Blackridge, MD. List of behaviors commonly seen as problems and possible biomedical causes. http://dimagine.com/page66.html
Nonverbal Individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Experiencing GERD [gastroesophogeal reflux disorder]: From Infants to Older Adults by Wendie C. Medina, DNP, RN, APN-CNS, CRRN. IJNIDD – International Journal of Nursing in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 2005; 2(1):2. http://journal.hsmc.org/ijnidd/. Clinical review article about the challenge of diagnosing GERD in individuals who are unable to report symptoms due to severe communication disorder and presumed intellectual disability. No test is definitive. Diagnosis relies on patient report of symptoms and of relief after treatment. Risk factors, reflux symptoms, behaviors that have been linked with GERD in studies. http://journal.hsmc.org/ijnidd/articlestemplate.asp?id=101
Nonverbal Patients, a guide for Healthcare Providers. http://www.ddhealthinfo.org/coursebuilder/?id=46
Patient Provider Communication website. "Communication is the joint establishment of meaning." Information, presentations, bibliography; links to articles and regulations relating to communication in healthcare settings: Promising Practices in Overcoming Communication Barriers, Training Nurses in Patient Communication, Joint Commission’s Draft Standards on Patient-Provider Communication, Hospital Communication Handbook, Overcoming Communication Barriers in Emergency Situations, Emergency Preparedness and Augmentative Communication, and other articles. http://www.patientprovidercommunication.org/
Promising Practices in Overcoming Communication Barriers by Harvey Pressman and Val Lewis, ConnSENSE Bulletin, July 21, 2010. "In a few hospitals around the world, communication specialists are pioneering new ways to overcome the communication barriers between patients and care providers – barriers at the root of reduced patient safety, extended length of hospital stay, unnecessary exacerbation of pain, hospital caused injuries, avoidable deaths, and many other undesirable outcomes." http://www.connsensebulletin.com/2010/07/patient-provider-communication/
Speaking Differently The focus of this website is on facilitating communication in the healthcare setting between health care professionals and people who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). This websi te provides strategies that can be used in all stages of the communication process, from arranging the meeting, t o planning what you want to say, and repairing communication breakdowns. Communication Strategies for Health Pro fessionals, Frequently Asked Questions for AAC Users and for Health Professionals, Resources. http://grassrootsaac.com/Speaking%20Differently/Speaking_Differently/index.htm
Speaking Differently Tool Kits "Speaking differently is producing several "Toolkits" which consist of vital information that adult augmented communicators need when entering into important situations." A Visit to the Doctor, A Visit to the Dentist, A Visit to the Pharmacist. http://grassrootsaac.com/Speaking%20Differently/Speaking_Differently/toolkits.htm
Strategies for Healthcare Professionals. Explains strategies for using the “READY” approach (Respect, Eliminate Misunderstandings, Allow Enough Time, Do not Make Assumptions, Yes-No and Communication Preferences) http://grassrootsaac.com/Speaking%20Differently/Speaking_Differently/AACtion.htm
The Joint Commission's Draft Standards on Patient-Provider Communication: Advancing effective communication, cultural competence and patient-centered care, 8/23/2009, Amy Wilson Stronks, The Joint Commission. Draft standards include many issues, including some specific to augmentative communication: training of staff on the use of communication tools, identification of the patient’s communication needs, provision of language access services and auxiliary aids, documentation of the use of language access services and auxiliary aids, and other related issues. http://www.patientprovidercommunication.org/index.cfm/article_5.htm
Vidatak EZ Boards: Meeting Patient Communication Needs with Evidence-Based Practice. Power Point presentation about need for communication support for patients, results of research. "It's time to improve patient communication standards." http://www.vidatak.com/Vidatak%20EZ%20Board.ppt#256,1,Vidatak EZ Board
Safety Issues
Premise Alert Communication Boards. Speak Unlimited Inc. "Our nonverbal communication boards assist professionals and people who cannot make their circumstances clear due to that they speak another language or have a medical condition such as autism, Alzheimer's syndrome, stroke, traumatic brain injury, unfamiliar or impaired speech, or other difficulties." Versions for Police, EMS, Hospital, or School Nurse. http://www.papremisealert.com/id74.html
Safeguarding People who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication from Sexual Abuse / Victimization. The Speak Up Project website. Communication Boards with sexuality and safeguarding pictures developed by Mayer-Johnson Inc. in collaboration wi th Speak Up team members and input provided by 12 adults who use AAC. Requires Boardmaker Software Version 5 (fo r Windows) or better to access these displays. 48 boards available in text only or in graphic symbol with text. Free download. http://www.accpc.ca/Speak_Up/
Emergencies / Emergency Preparedness
AAC in the ICU, Augmentative Communication News, February 2007 "“Being unable to speak is a common condition in ICUs, because more than one-third of those admitted require mechanical ventilation ... an ability to communicate during a critical illness can increase the patient’s participation in the assessment of pain and other symptoms and in making important decisions." Article includes AAC Materials for the ICU, AAC Strategies for Supporting Expression, Suggested ICU AAC Equipment and Supplies http://www.patientprovidercommunication.org/userfiles/file/ACNNews19_1_Feb07.pdf
Preparenow.org The mission of preparenow.org is to ensure that the needs and concerns of vulnerable people are addressed in emergency preparedness and response. Preparedness library: http://www.preparenow.org/prepare.html. All library documents are downloadable and in the public domain. Each may be used as is or adapted. Credit to the original creator and/or this website is appreciated. Some of these documents provide assistance for organizations whose client base includes vulnerable people, while others are designed as planning tools for individuals. The information in this library makes it possible for organizations with limited staff and funding to make preparedness information available to a broader audience. Resource Links: http://www.preparenow.org/links.html
Disaster Preparedness and People with Complex Communication Needs "The AAC community has a key role to play in ensuring that people with limited speech have access to communication during an emergency or disaster. While each situation is different and not everything can be anticipated, planning and preparations ALWAYS result in better outcomes." Information and materials for people with limited speech, emergency response personnel, AAC advocates. http://www.aac-rerc.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=148&Itemid=144
Earthquake Tips for People With Disabilities http://www.preparenow.org/eqtips.html
Earthquake Tips for People with Cognitive Disabilities (intellectual disabilites, brain injury, stroke and other conditions that may reduce the ability to process information.) http://www.preparenow.org/cogdis.html
Tips for Creating an Emergency Health Information Card http://www.preparenow.org/tipcrd.html
