This brief report presents the first North American population data on rates of emergency
department (ED) use among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
(IDD) relative to the general population. Individuals with IDD are at greater risk
for health problems compared with the general population [
1
,
2
] and have higher morbidity and earlier mortality as a result. Illness in individuals
with IDD can be further exacerbated in a health care system that is fragmented and
inadequately resourced, particularly when medical professionals do not have the necessary
expertise [
[3]
]. These issues are magnified when, in addition to chronic and acute medical concerns,
a comorbid mental health issue emerges. Consequently, individuals with coexisting
IDD and psychiatric disorder have been identified as a group with particularly complex
service needs [
[4]
].To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
One-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to The American Journal of Emergency MedicineAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Closing the gap: a national blueprint to improve the health of persons with mental retardation. Report of the Surgeon General's Conference on Health Disparities and Mental Retardation. February 2001. Washington DC2002
- Health problems in people with intellectual disability in general practice: a comparative study.Fam Pract. 2000; 17: 405-407
- Understanding health disparities and inequities faced by individuals with intellectual disabilities.J Appl Res Intellect. 2005; 18: 113-121
- Mental health services for individuals with intellectual disabilities in Canada: findings from a national survey.J Appl Res Intellect. 2007; 20: 439-447
- ED's unequipped for all psychiatric patients: survey.Aujourd’hui. 2005; : 7-8
- Emergency psychiatric services for individuals with intellectual disabilities: perspectives of hospital staff.Intellect Dev Disabil. 2008; 46: 446-455
- A cross-sectional study of the characteristics and determinants of emergency care utilization among people with intellectual disabilities in Taiwan.Res Dev Disabil. 2006; 27: 657-667
Vencat A, Pastin RB, Hegde GG, et al. An analysis of ED utilization by adults with intellectual disability. Am J Emerg Med In press.
- High utilizers of emergency services.Psychiatr Serv. 2005; 56: 678-684
- Hospital utilization among persons with an intellectual disability, Ontario, Canada, 1995-2001.J Appl Res Intellect. 2005; 18: 181-190
- Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale. 2010
- Continuity of care to prevent emergency room use among persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.J Policy Pract Intellect Disabil. 2007; 4: 219-228
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: February 14, 2011
Accepted:
December 18,
2010
Received:
December 15,
2010
Footnotes
☆This study was supported by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), which is funded by an annual grant from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), as well as by annual funding from MOHLTC to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. The opinions, results and conclusions reported in this paper are those of the authors and are independent from the funding sources. No endorsement by ICES or the Ontario MOHLTC is intended or should be inferred.
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
