Exploring the journey and impact of advanced practice in care delivery for people with learning disabilities and/or autism

Abstract

Background: Practitioners working in the field of learning disability and/or autism have seen their roles expand over the past several decades to promote and accommodate the complex needs of the population group. While the nuances and intricacies of working with this group of people may be less clearly defined, advanced practitioners are required to develop the roles in the field across the four pillars of clinical practice, leadership and management, education and research. Aim: This study aimed to review the published literature and explore, identify and describe the journey for practitioners towards advanced practice in learning disability and autism, as well as their impact on care delivery. Method: A scoping review approach was used to address the review question. The PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines was used as a structured format to report the review. Research question: What is the positionality, identity and impact of advanced practice for care delivery by advanced practitioners in learning disability and autism? Discussion: This scoping review is being designed to conceptualise the journey towards advanced practice, with a specific focus on learning disability and autism, exploring the impact on care delivery in this field of practice by advanced practitioners.