About this resource
Hospitals and new health providers often know little about the person. This profile shares the essentials: how the person communicates, health conditions, medicines, allergies, how they show pain or distress, what helps them feel comfortable and who to contact, written with the person.
Purpose
To help health staff understand the person quickly and support them well.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Disability support workers. Also relevant for NDIS providers and support coordinators, speech pathologists.
Client or participant group: Adults with disability, completed with the person and their supporters.
Practice setting: Health appointments, hospital admissions and emergencies.
Suggested uses
- Hospital admissions
- New health appointments
- Emergencies
- Transitions between services
Instructions for practitioners
- Complete with the person, in their words where possible.
- Check medical details against current records.
- Update after any change in health or medicines.
- Store a copy where it can be found quickly.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Tell your supporter what to write.
- Check it is right.
- Take it to appointments and hospital.
Accessibility considerations
Add a photo and symbols. Use large print.
Scope and limitations
A person-centred profile. It does not replace medical records or a medication chart.
Research basis
Clear, plain-language information and checking understanding (teach-back) improve understanding, safety and quality of care. Person-centred planning shows positive but limited evidence of improving community participation and everyday choice for people with intellectual disability.
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2014). Health literacy: Taking action to improve safety and quality. ACSQHC. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/publications-and-resources/resource-library/health-literacy-taking-action-improve-safety-and-quality
- Australian Government. Style Manual: Plain language and word choice. https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/writing-and-designing-content/clear-language-and-writing-style/plain-language-and-word-choice
- Ratti, V., Hassiotis, A., Crabtree, J., Deb, S., Gallagher, P., & Unwin, G. (2016). The effectiveness of person-centred planning for people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 57, 63–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2016.06.015
- Talevski, J., Wong Shee, A., Rasmussen, B., Kemp, G., & Beauchamp, A. (2020). Teach-back: A systematic review of implementation and impacts. PLOS ONE, 15(4), e0231350. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231350
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
