Estimated prevalence of people with learning disabilities: template for general practice.
BACKGROUND
In 2001, a white paper set out a commitment to ensure that people with a learning disability receive equal access to health services, with an expectation that general practices would have identified all people with a learning disability registered with the practice by June 2004.


OBJECTIVE
To outline the development of a template to create practice-based registers of people with learning disabilities in general practice.


METHODS
The study was prospective, employing a template to identify patients in general practice with a learning disability. The study used capture-recapture methodology to estimate the prevalence of learning disability in the population.


METHODS
General practices in Leeds.


METHODS
A template was developed that uses Read code searches of practices' electronic medical records, along with practice knowledge to identify patients who have a learning disability.


RESULTS
The tool was piloted in 30 general practices in Leeds and validated against a city-wide database of people with learning disability. There was a wide variation between the practices in terms of how many people were identified, with the average being 0.4% of the practice population. Combined with validation from the city-wide database, this increased to 0.7%.


CONCLUSIONS
The template provides a valuable tool for general practices to begin developing a practice-based register of patients with a learning disability. This is particularly timely in view of the revised General Medical Services contract Quality and Outcomes Framework indicator, stimulating practices to produce a register of patients with learning disability. Use of a common definition for learning disability is needed to improve consistency in identification across practices.
Allgar
Victoria
V
Hull and York Medical School, University of York.
Mir
Ghazala
G
Evans
Joyce
J
Marshall
Joyce
J
Cottrell
David
D
Heywood
Phil
P
Emerson
Eric
E
D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies