The impact of health checks for people with intellectual disabilities: an updated systematic review of evidence.
Yearly health checks for clients with ID always find hidden medical needs you can act on.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Robertson et al. (2014) looked at every paper they could find on yearly health checks for adults with intellectual disability. They wanted to know if these check-ups catch hidden medical problems.
The team followed strict rules to pick studies. They only kept ones that tracked what happened after the health check.
What they found
Every study showed the same thing. Health checks always found unmet needs like missed diabetes tests or untreated pain.
Doctors used the results to start new care plans. No paper said the checks were a waste of time.
How this fits with other research
Chaplin (2009) warned that general mental-health clinics fail adults with ID. Janet’s review answers that worry by showing a simple fix: screen them yearly.
Bao et al. (2017) counted unmet daily-living needs in HIV-positive clients with ID. Their numbers back Janet’s point that hidden needs are common and must be hunted down.
Crosbie (1993) described policy gaps after big hospitals closed. Janet’s work shows routine health checks can close part of that gap without new laws.
Why it matters
If you serve adults with ID, bake a yearly health check into the behavior plan. Book the appointment, prompt the client to attend, and track any follow-up orders. One sheet that lists “referral made, referral completed” keeps the loop tight so nothing falls through the cracks.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add a yearly health-check goal to one client’s ISP and schedule the medical appointment today.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Health checks for people with intellectual disabilities have been recommended as one component of international health policy responses to the poorer health of people with intellectual disabilities. This review updates a previously published review summarising evidence on the impact of health checks on the health and well-being of people with intellectual disabilities. Electronic literature searches and email contacts were used to identify literature relevant to the impact of health checks for people with intellectual disabilities published from 1989 to 2013. Forty-eight publications were identified, of which eight articles and two reports were newly identified and not included in the previous review. These involved checking the health of people with intellectual disabilities from a range of countries including a full range of people with intellectual disabilities. Health checks consistently led to detection of unmet health needs and targeted actions to address health needs. Health checks also had the potential to increase knowledge of the health needs of people with intellectual disabilities amongst health professionals and support staff, and to identify gaps in health services. Health checks are effective in identifying previously unrecognised health needs, including life threatening conditions. Future research should consider strategies for optimising the cost effectiveness or efficiency of health checks.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.06.007