From Institutional to Community Support: Consequences for Medical Care

Background Concerns have been raised about the quality of medical care available for people with intellectual disabilities in community‐based services. The aims of this study were to evaluate a model of medical care developed during a programme of deinstitutionalization, based on a specialist physician supporting general practitioners (GPs). Method Postal questionnaire survey of all 36 GPs participating in the specialist physician support programme. Responses were received from 22 participants (response rate 61%). Results The majority of GPs agreed that clients with intellectual disabilities should receive services in primary care settings. While they also reported themselves to be capable of providing medical care to people with intellectual disabilities, they also reported the provision of specialist support to be important. Conclusions It is possible to provide high quality medical care in community‐based settings if specialist support is made available for GPs.