Health problems of people with intellectual disabilities in Dutch out‐of‐hours primary care
Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities
Published online on October 24, 2018
Abstract
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Abstract
Background
Little is known about the health needs of people with intellectual disabilities who access out‐of‐hours primary care services, raising concerns about accessibility and quality of care for this group. This study aims to identify commonly presented health problems of people with intellectual disabilities in this specific setting compared with the general population.
Method
Cross‐sectional study with routine data at two out‐of‐hours cooperatives with a total of 41,166 persons aged 20–65 requesting outof‐hours primary care in 2014, of which 315 persons were identified as having an intellectual disability.
Results
Having an intellectual disability was associated with a higher probability of presenting with epilepsy (OR 45.65) and concerns about, and adverse effects of, medical treatment (OR 23.37, and 8.41, respectively).
Conclusions
Given the high rates of epilepsy and medication‐related concerns of people with intellectual disabilities, this study suggests that these issues require special attention to improve the accessibility and quality of out‐of‐hours primary care.
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, EarlyView.