Evaluating a visual communications tool to explore risk and safety with nurses and patients within an intellectual disability forensic service: A pilot study

ABSTRACT

Background

Issues of risk and safety can be challenging to discuss with forensic patients with an intellectual disability. Talking Mats is a visual communication tool that facilitates therapeutic conversations.

Method

A pilot study, adopting an ethnographic approach, was used to evaluate Talking Mats. Interviews and video observations were conducted with nurses and forensic patients with an intellectual disability from two forensic wards in Scotland.

Results

Exploratory evidence suggests that Talking Mats offers a non-biased platform to discuss potentially emotive issues around risk, safety, and wellbeing. Pre-existing notions of Talking Mats, staff availability, and the context of COVID-19 acted as barriers to adopting the visual communications tool.

Conclusion

There is value in further research regarding communication tools to facilitate input on care planning and risk management for patients with an intellectual disability.

KEYWORDS:

• Communication
• intellectual disability
• forensic
• risk
• safety
• nursing

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the nurses and clients in the intellectual disability services in NHS Fife for their time and enthusiasm in contributing to this study. Our sincere thanks also to hospital management for their support in conducting this research study during the coronavirus pandemic.

Disclosure statement

Lois Cameron is the Director of Talking Mats Ltd, which is a social enterprise in Scotland. All other authors reported there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Burdett Trust for Nursing through a learning disability research grant in 2019 [grant number 101010662\472148].