Health actions prompted by health assessments for people with intellectual disability exceed actions recorded in general practitioners’ records
Jacqueline H. Byrne A C , Robert S. Ware A B and Nicholas G. Lennox AA Queensland Centre for Intellectual and Developmental Disability, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Mater Hospital, Raymond Terrace, South Brisbane, Herston, Qld 4101, Australia.
B School of Population Health, The University of Queensland, Level 2, Public Health Building, Herston Road, Herston, Qld 4006, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: j.byrne5@uq.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 21(3) 317-320 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY14007
Submitted: 9 September 2013 Accepted: 22 April 2014 Published: 10 June 2014
Abstract
People with intellectual disability experience inadequate health care and have unmet health needs that can go unidentified or be poorly managed. Health assessments have been shown to significantly increase short-term clinical activity for people with intellectual disability. The aim of this study was to more accurately quantify the effect of health assessments for people with intellectual disability by comparing health actions recorded in health assessment booklets to actions recorded in general practitioners’ (GPs) records in the 12-month period following the health assessment. Participants were people with intellectual disability who had received a Comprehensive Health Assessment Program (CHAP), living in the community. The CHAP is a health assessment that is demonstrated to significantly increase health actions, compared with usual care, for people with intellectual disability. Data collected from three randomised controlled trials conducted in South-East Queensland, Australia, from 2000 to 2010 were pooled and analysed. The health assessment booklet contained significantly more information on health actions than GPs’ records. Notably, hearing tests (risk ratio (RR) = 5.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.7–7.4), breast checks (RR = 3.9; 95% CI = 2.7–5.7), and skin examinations (RR = 7.9; 95% CI = 5.9–10.7) were more likely to be recorded in the CHAP booklet. Health assessments increase health actions for people with intellectual disability to a significantly greater extent than previously demonstrated.
Additional keywords: general practice, health check, health outcomes, health promotion, learning disability, mental retardation.
References
Beange HP (1996) Caring for a vulnerable population. The Medical Journal of Australia 164, 159–160.Felce D, Baxter H, Lowe K, Dunstan F, Houston H, Jones G, Grey J, Felce J, Kerr M (2008) The impact of checking the health of adults with intellectual disabilities on primary care consultation rates, health promotion and contact with specialists. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities 21, 597–602.
| The impact of checking the health of adults with intellectual disabilities on primary care consultation rates, health promotion and contact with specialists.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Koritsas S, Iacono T, Davis R (2012) Australian general practitioner uptake of a remunerated Medicare health assessment for people with intellectual disability. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability 37, 151–154.
| Australian general practitioner uptake of a remunerated Medicare health assessment for people with intellectual disability.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lennox NG, Diggens JN, Ugoni AM (1997) The general practice care of people with intellectual disability: barriers and solutions. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 41, 380–390.
| The general practice care of people with intellectual disability: barriers and solutions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 9373818PubMed |
Lennox N, Bain C, Rey-Conde T, Purdie D, Bush R, Pandeya N (2007) Effects of a comprehensive health assessment programme for Australian adults with intellectual disability: a cluster randomized trial. International Journal of Epidemiology 36, 139–146.
| Effects of a comprehensive health assessment programme for Australian adults with intellectual disability: a cluster randomized trial.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 17218326PubMed |
Lennox N, Bain C, Rey-Conde T, Taylor M, Boyle FM, Purdie DM, Ware RS (2010) Cluster randomized-controlled trial of interventions to improve health for adults with intellectual disability who live in private dwellings. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities 23, 303–311.
| Cluster randomized-controlled trial of interventions to improve health for adults with intellectual disability who live in private dwellings.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lennox N, Ware R, Bain C, Gomez MT, Cooper S-A (2011) Effects of health screening for adults with intellectual disability: a pooled analysis. The British Journal of General Practice 61, 193–196.
| Effects of health screening for adults with intellectual disability: a pooled analysis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 21375903PubMed |
Lennox N, Ware R, Carrington S, O’Callaghan M, Williams G, McPherson L, Bain C (2012) Ask: a health advocacy program for adolescents with an intellectual disability: a cluster randomised controlled trial. BMC Public Health 12, 750
| Ask: a health advocacy program for adolescents with an intellectual disability: a cluster randomised controlled trial.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 22958354PubMed |
Melville CA, Cooper SA, Morrison J, Finlayson J, Allan L, Robinson N, Burns E, Martin G (2006) The outcomes of an intervention study to reduce the barriers experienced by people with intellectual disabilities accessing primary health care services. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 50, 11–17.
| The outcomes of an intervention study to reduce the barriers experienced by people with intellectual disabilities accessing primary health care services.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DC%2BD2MnjsF2jug%3D%3D&md5=772213799a55ea917260e6b9c8367e6dCAS | 16316426PubMed |
Robertson J, Roberts H, Emerson E, Turner S, Grieg R (2011) The impact of health checks for people with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review of evidence. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 55, 1009–1019.
| The impact of health checks for people with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review of evidence.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DC%2BC3MbjtVajtw%3D%3D&md5=7974689ff93fb831c720115fcb4a7aa2CAS | 21726316PubMed |
