Background: The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care recommends the development of reasonable adjustments to Comprehensive Care Standard to better suit the needs of people with intellectual disability. Method: An audit of adults with Down syndrome attending a mainstream internal medicine outpatient clinic was undertaken to…

Autistic adults often experience health problems and a range of healthcare barriers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate barriers and explore how primary care providers and autistic adults want to improve their primary healthcare. Semi-structured interviews with three autistic adults, two parents of autistic children and six care…

Background: No standardized tool is used in Canada for comprehensive health assessments of adults with intellectual disabilities. This study was conducted to determine the feasibility of implementing the Comprehensive Health Assessment Program (CHAP) in Manitoba, Canada. Method: This was a qualitative study using a purposive sample of physicians,…

We conducted in-depth case studies of 10 health care professionals who actively provide primary medical care to adults with autism spectrum disorders. The study sought to understand their experiences in providing this care, the training they had received, the training they lack and their suggestions for encouraging more physicians to provide this…

Primary care physicians who care for adults with intellectual disability often lack experience with the population, and patients with intellectual disability express dissatisfaction with their care. Establishing a secure primary care relationship is particularly important for adults with intellectual disability, who experience health disparities…

Objectives: Successful childhood obesity intervention models that build sustainable behavioral change are needed, particularly in low-income, ethnic minority communities disparately affected by this problem. Method: Families were referred to Taking Steps Together (TST) by their primary care provider if at least one child had a body mass index…

Contradictory data exist regarding optimal methods and instruments for intimate partner violence (IPV) screening in primary care settings. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal method and screening instrument for IPV among men and women in a primary-care resident clinic. We conducted a cross-sectional study at an urban, academic,…

Individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities face complex medical problems. Primary care physicians tend to provide basic medical care, serving as a base through which other forms of care can be accessed. In this study we describe patterns of primary care utilization among adults enrolled on the Florida Medicaid's Home and…

A survey of 614 Maine physicians indicated that almost 80% were currently providing care to patients with mental retardation living in the community. Major obstacles in treating such patients were revealed, their importance was assessed, and ratings of the utility of specific measures to lessen these obstacles were identified. (Author/JDD)

This article identifies possible adverse effects of managed health care delivery systems on adults with mental retardation. It is noted that few primary care providers, the "gatekeepers" of such systems, have special training in examining and treating adults with mental retardation and that disincentives exist in such programs for…

A study investigated the perspectives of 31 British adults with intellectual disabilities and 104 carers on their experiences, expectations, and opinions of a primary health care project designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Results found that the majority of the individuals with intellectual disabilities were satisfied with the…