Integrated care for people with an intellectual disability

Summary:

Continuity of care and harmony in cooperation between health care professionals are essentials to streamline the care process of people with an intellectual disability living outside an institution (ID). One way to advance continuity of care is the delivery of integrated care. In a literature review and an effect study the value of integrated care for people with ID is explored. The results of the literature review show that there are sufficient reasons to offer the care for people with ID in an integrated way. Besides fragmentation of care and poor communication between health care professionals, is the main reason the fact that many people with ID do experience various unmet needs. In order to explore the effects of integrated care for people with ID a pilot study is conducted. In this pilot study, parents, carers, supervisors and the medical profession could make an appeal to a specialized doctor in health care for people with ID (AVG) and, in case it was necessary, to the network of the AVG, who was fully or partly connected to an institution for people with ID. The experts’ network is evaluated during a period of eight months. Due to the limited referrals to the experts’ network it is not clear whether integrated care contributes to a higher quality of care. However, this does not mean that integrated care is of no value for people with ID. Integrated care for this population should deserve another chance in view of expected developments in demographic and epidemiological trends and because of increasing patient empowerment.