Psychiatric nurses' knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides civil rights protection for qualified individuals with disabilities. In spite of the protection afforded, people with serious and persistent mental illness may require advocates to help them benefit from the ADA. This descriptive investigation used primary data from 900 psychiatric nurses to determine their knowledge of the ADA. Subjects were also asked to provide information about their clinical practice responsibilities, and how frequently they have provided clients, with ADA information. Results indicate that the majority of the psychiatric nurses in this study did not have the knowledge necessary to act as advocates with respect to the ADA. Moreover, few psychiatric nurses in the study had provided clients with ADA information.