Healthcare technology has made major strides in recent years, including software that leverages AI for behavioral health. Still, advancements have lagged behind in intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) circles, particularly in terms of meeting the unique needs of direct service professionals (DSPs).
The time is now for tech companies to step up, with DSPs burned out from staffing shortages and long hours. According to 2023 data, the weighted average turnover rate among these workers across U.S. states stands at nearly 40%.
DSPs have been clamoring for more advanced IDD software, which includes tools with AI features to help them manage heavy workloads and navigate challenges specific to clients’ care requirements and living conditions. At Core Solutions, we’re developing a solution customized to the way DSPs work and designed to provide support and relief, so cumbersome tasks don’t take time away from the provision of quality care and DSPs feel more satisfied in their roles.
Although only about 3% to 5% of the U.S. population lives with an IDD, these individuals still make up a disproportionate amount of healthcare spending. Data going all the way back to 2015 says that 36% of total healthcare expenditures for adults living in the U.S. were associated with disability.
Given those numbers, attributed largely to the complexity of treating people with IDD, you might think that investments in their care providers were significant. However, DSPs, who make up most of the IDD workforce, often earn minimum wage or just a bit more despite having a challenging and very important role.
These unsung professionals must frequently travel between several locations, because living arrangements for people with IDD are designed to integrate them into the larger community. Five to 10 individuals may live in one home, and a DSP might visit several such residences in a single day, striving to meet the different needs of each person. Along the way, they’re depended upon to balance numerous care plans and extensive medication management, among other responsibilities.
Unfortunately, the technology that direct service professionals often rely on is not equipped to adequately support their work. Traditional, office-based hardware without IDD software is ineffective in helping them, since carrying a computer is impractical. Manual methods of recording information, like taking handwritten notes, win out, even though they’re unreliable. DSPs run the risk of entering errors and incomplete information into client records — or not adding any or all information while they’re hustling between locations.
The simple answer is a mobile app — but not one with the standard AI for behavioral health. We, as technology providers, must integrate IDD AI capabilities into smartphones and distill them into the most essential solutions for DSPs.
For example: A DSP can get overwhelmed tracking client progression and medication management. In one afternoon, they may visit a busy day program set up by a provider and see 10 to 15 clients. They have small, 10-minute encounters with each person to help the individual with tasks, see what (if any) positive steps they’ve taken, and get them their medications, which often number in double digits for clients with co-occurring conditions. The DSP has to remember all the information on each client, administer their medicines, walk over to a computer, enter updates, and move on to the next individual.
With DSP Assist, the mobile IDD software app that Core is developing, direct service professionals can see the entire plan the provider has put together, often created in collaboration with the client. DSPs can check progress milestones off a list while keeping their attention on the person in front of them. After they use the app to take voice notes, the underlying AI technology will consolidate all recordings and summarize them in a single concise note.
DSPs also receive timely alerts for dispensing medications, which might otherwise have been missed on a computer they're not tied to. They can further generate shift notes to ensure that all tasks are completed before they log out — not only improving their day, but the client experience as well.
Another great feature? With safety of vital importance for people with IDD, DSP Assist has a one-button ability to record incidents, improving risk management.
We believe the most essential benefits of this mobile IDD software for DSPs, particularly the IDD AI technology, are efficiency and compliance. The time saved with the various features in DSP Assist will add up quickly, giving workers back valuable minutes, while the AI will better ensure they’re staying on track with care plans that meet all industry standards and documentation requirements. DSP Assist will not only understand the complexity of disabilities, client progression, and regulatory requirements, but also provide GPS coordinates, so DSPs’ locations are clearly known and meet compliance expectations.
It’s not only DSPs who will benefit. Since mobile IDD software streamlines the care and support processes, more attention can be paid to what’s important to the client during 1:1 meetings. The IDD AI capabilities in DSP Assist can also make recommendations for the direction of a care plan and set notifications, so a client in need of frequent follow-ups is regularly checked on.
Core believes that the future of AI for behavioral health holds even more promise than we currently are seeing, and our extensive background in IDD and intimate knowledge of DSPs’ challenges pushes us to continue finding solutions for their most pressing problems. To learn more about the rollout of DSP Assist and how we can help your IDD facility and staff, contact us today.