Date Available
5-2-2025
Year of Publication
2025
Document Type
DNP Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
College
Nursing
Department/School/Program
Nursing
Faculty
Dr Andrew Makowski
Committee Member
Dr Raymond Young
Faculty
Dr Julie Perry
Abstract
Abstract
Background: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to report barriers to healthcare access than individuals with other disabilities and non-autistic persons. Many barriers to healthcare for those on the spectrum have been identified and include: negative interactions with healthcare staff, communication barriers with healthcare providers, lack of providers knowledgeable of ASD, sensory concerns, and difficulty navigating the healthcare system. The Autism Support Checklist (ASC) is a tool designed to outline communication methods, sensory concerns, soothing items/actions, triggers, special interests, safety concerns, and other information pertinent to an autistic patient. The tool is designed to convey the information necessary for healthcare providers to deliver patient centered care.
Purpose: The purpose of this DNP project was to evaluate the effect of utilizing the ASC on healthcare providers’ perceptions of supporting autistic patients in the preoperative (pre-op) setting. The specific aim of this project was to evaluate how healthcare providers perceive the effect the information conveyed in the ASC has on several aspects of care provided. These aspects of care include their ability to interact with, communicate with, and accommodate the sensory needs of autistic patients in the pre-op setting.
Methods: The project employed a quasi-experimental, post-test study design and included pre-op nursing staff which is comprised of nurses and nursing care technicians. The intervention involved providing a handoff of the information conveyed on the ASC to the assigned pre-op nursing staff. A post-test “ASC Provider Survey” was used to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Results: The ASC improved nursing staff perceptions of providing patient centered care for autistic patients in pre-op. Seventy-five percent of nursing staff in the pre-op department at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital (UK Chandler) found the ASC easy to use and agreed or strongly agreed they were better able to communicate with and adjust the environment for the autistic patient based on information provided on the ASC.
Conclusion: The ASC could be a tool to improve pre-op nursing staff perceptions of providing patient specific, supportive care to autistic patients in the pre-op setting. The ASC could also be a springboard for further integration by expanding use of the tool to other areas within 2 perioperative services, UK Chandler at large, and/or, being the initial step to a greater autism friendly initiative by UK Chandler.
Recommended Citation
Hancock, Amanda, "Evaluating Preoperative Care Providers' Perceptions of the Autism Support Checklist for Surgical Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder" (2025). DNP Projects. 501.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/dnp_etds/501
Required Revisions
