Clinical encounters can provide a portal into understanding patient needs and person-centred care. Communication in interviewing is vital: communicating caring attitudes and actions in tandem. Some patients and populations require extra consideration in clinical settings. Many individuals with developmental disabilities present with cognitive, communication, motor or sensory differences that necessitate adaptations as we prepare and engage them in interviews. The following guidelines provide a summary of steps to “Communicate CARE when you INTERVIEW” a patient with a developmental disability. The principles and practices are broadly applicable and stand to benefit patients as well as clinicians in initial clinical encounters.

Dr Yona Lunsky is ‎a Professor and Developmental Disabilities Lead with Deptartment of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. Dr Lunsky's clinical research and work is profoundly influential in improving health care for people with DD. We want to particularly highlight the Health Care Access Research and Developmental Disabilities (H-CARDD) and online resources aimed at positively impacting health and health care for people with DD. Go to http://www.hcardd.ca/ and pass on the news about this work!

In this Managing Mania....Continuing CARE video we focus on follow-up after a hospital admission.