Responses to the health care needs of this vulnerable group have improved, but further progress is needed
Finding good measures of the effectiveness of health care in the community is challenging, and this problem certainly applies to care for Australians with intellectual disability. The study by Weise and colleagues,1 reported in this issue of the MJA, underscores the extent of health care disadvantage experienced by people with intellectual disability in Australia.
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- 1. Weise JC, Srasuebkul P, Trollor JN. Potentially preventable hospitalisations of people with intellectual disability in New South Wales. Med J Aust 2021; 215: 31–36.
- 2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Disparities in potentially preventable hospitalisations across Australia 2012–13 to 2017–18 (Cat. no. HPF 50). Feb 2020. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/primary-health-care/disparities-in-potentially-preventable-hospitalisations-australia (viewed Apr 2021).
- 3. Reppermund S, Srasuebkul P, Heintze T, et al. Cohort profile: a data linkage cohort to examine health service profiles of people with intellectual disability in New South Wales, Australia. BMJ Open 2017; 7: e015627.
- 4. Salomon S, Trollor J. A scoping review of causes and contributors to deaths of people with disability in Australia. Findings [report for the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission]. Feb 2020. https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/document/1881 (viewed Apr 2021).
- 5. Robertson J, Hatton C, Emerson E, Baines S. Prevalence of epilepsy among people with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review. Seizure 2015; 29: 46–62.
- 6. Reed R, Isherwood L, Ben‐Tovim D. Why do older people with multi‐morbidity experience unplanned hospital admissions from the community: a root cause analysis. BMC Health Serv Res 2015; 15: 525.
- 7. National Disability Insurance Scheme. Disability‐related health supports. Updated July 2020. https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding/supports-funded-ndis/disability-related-health-supports (viewed Apr 2021).
- 8. Minister for Health (Australia). Greater support for Australians with intellectual disability [media release]. 27 Feb 2020. https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-greg-hunt-mp/media/greater-support-for-australians-with-an-intellectual-disability (viewed Apr 2021).
No relevant disclosures.