Emergency Department Use: Common Presenting Issues and Continuity of Care for Individuals With and Without Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Durbin et al. (2018) looked at emergency room visits for adults with and without intellectual or developmental disabilities.

They used insurance records to see if seeing the same primary doctor again and again lowered ER trips.

The team compared the adults with IDD to 9,600 matched adults without disabilities over two years.

Adults with IDD went to the ER twice as often as other adults.

Yet when they had high continuity—same doctor most visits—their ER use dropped 28 percent.

The drop was larger for the IDD group than for the comparison group.

Van Cleave et al. (2018) show the same idea in kids: primary care can handle ASD medical issues if BCBAs coach the team.

Bhaumik et al. (2008) counted that 46 percent of UK adults with ID already use specialty psychiatry; Anna’s paper says strong primary care can still cut crisis trips.

Patton et al. (2020) found heavy psychotropic loads push adults with IDD into the ER; pairing their med-review hint with Anna’s continuity plan gives you two levers to pull.

Dai et al. (2023) reveal most outpatient doctors talk only to caregivers; Anna’s data say schedule follow-ups anyway—continuity still protects.

You can lower ER visits by helping clients keep one primary doctor. Book the next appointment before the client leaves, share a brief behavior plan with the office, and track if the same clinician sees them next time. A 28 percent drop means fewer meltdowns in bright waiting rooms and less chance of sedation or restraint.