title: Estimated prevalence of people with learning disabilities: template for general practice.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Hull and York Medical School, University of York.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Allgar
authors.forename: Ghazala
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mir
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cottrell
authors.forename: Phil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Heywood
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emerson
mesh_terms: 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