The importance of person‐centred care and co‐creation of care for the well‐being and job satisfaction of professionals working with people with intellectual disabilities
Sammanfattning
Background: Person‐centred care and co‐creation of care (productive interactions between clients and professionals) are expected to lead to better outcomes for clients. Professionals play a prominent role in the care of people with intellectual disabilities at residential care facilities. Thus, person‐centred care and co‐creation of care may be argued to lead to better outcomes for professionals as well. This study aimed to identify relationships of person‐centred care and co‐creation of care with the well‐being and job satisfaction of professionals working with people with intellectual disabilities (PWID).
Methods: A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in 2015 among professionals working at a disability care organisation in the Netherlands. All 1146 professionals involved in the care of people with intellectual disabilities who required 24‐hours care were invited to participate. The response rate was 41% (n = 466).
Results: Most respondents (87%) were female, and the mean age was 42.8 ± 11.5 years (22–65). The majority of respondents (70%) worked ≥22 hours per week and had worked for the organisation for ≥5 years (88%). Most of the respondents (76.8%) were direct care workers either in residential homes (59.3%) or in day activities (17.5%). After controlling for background variables, person‐centred care and co‐creation of care were associated positively with job satisfaction and well‐being of professionals.
Conclusions: The provision of person‐centred care and co‐creation of care may lead to better well‐being and job satisfaction among professionals working with PWID. This finding is important, as such professionals often experience significant levels of work stress and burnout. Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons.