{"id":330174,"date":"2026-03-05T11:29:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T11:29:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/330174\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T11:29:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T11:29:52","slug":"role-of-epidemiology-in-supporting-learning-disability-nurse-education-and-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/330174\/","title":{"rendered":"Role of epidemiology in supporting learning disability nurse education and practice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\t\t \t
\n\t\t\t\t \t Abby Edwards<\/a> Nursing apprentice, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, England
\n\t\t\t\t
<\/p>\n

\t\t \t
\n\t\t\t\t \t Victoria Denny<\/a> Nursing apprentice, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, England
\n\t\t\t\t
<\/p>\n

\t\t \t
\n\t\t\t\t \t Ferozkhan Jadhakhan<\/a> Lecturer, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, England
\n\t\t\t\t
<\/p>\n

\t\t \t
\n\t\t\t\t \t Ruth Hirst<\/a> Lecturer, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, England
\n\t\t\t\t
<\/p>\n

\t\t \t
\n\t\t\t\t \t Andrea Page<\/a> Associate professor, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, England
\n\t\t\t\t
<\/p>\n

Why you should read this article:<\/p>\n

\u2022 To recognise how epidemiological knowledge can support early identification of health needs and improve outcomes for people with learning disabilities<\/p>\n

\u2022 To consider how epidemiological principles can be applied to person-centred care, clinical decision-making and advocacy in learning disability nursing practice<\/p>\n

\u2022 To understand how epidemiology can be effectively integrated into nurse education and practice<\/p>\n

This article explores the role of epidemiology in learning disability nursing and its contribution to understanding patterns of disease, associated risks and health inequalities. Reflections from two of the authors who are registered nursing degree apprentices, illustrated through case studies, show how epidemiological knowledge supports earlier identification of health needs, clinical decision-making and the provision of personalised, person-centred care. The article highlights how epidemiology can enhance the recognition of comorbidities, reduce diagnostic overshadowing and improve health outcomes for people with learning disabilities. It also emphasises the importance of embedding epidemiology in nurse education to strengthen evidence-based practice and professional confidence. By applying epidemiological principles, learning disability nurses are better equipped to deliver holistic care, advocate for equitable access to services and enhance quality of life across the lifespan.<\/p>\n

Learning Disability Practice.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t doi: 10.7748\/ldp.2026.e2292<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeer review<\/p>\n

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCorrespondence<\/p>\n

ruth.hirst@bcu.ac.uk<\/a> <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tConflict of interest<\/p>\n

None declared<\/p>\n

Edwards A, Denny V, Jadhakhan F et al (2026) Role of epidemiology in supporting learning disability nurse education and practice. Learning Disability Practice. doi: 10.7748\/ldp.2026.e2292<\/p>\n

Acknowledgement<\/p>\n

The authors would like to give heartfelt thanks to the parent who shared their lived experience and perspective for case study 2. Your contribution has been invaluable in shaping this work<\/p>\n

Published online: 05 March 2026<\/p>\n


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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFind out more<\/a> \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Abby Edwards Nursing apprentice, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, England Victoria Denny Nursing apprentice, Birmingham City…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":330175,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[152390,118423,7924,152391,835,16865,103,152392,61,54309,60,46346,58120,10640],"class_list":["post-330174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-clinical-skills","tag-comorbidity","tag-diversity","tag-downs-syndrome","tag-education","tag-equality","tag-health","tag-holistic-care","tag-ie","tag-inclusion","tag-ireland","tag-learning-disability","tag-nursing-care","tag-patient-outcomes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=330174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330174\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}