title: Service Responses to People with Intellectual Disabilities and Epilepsy: A Systematic Review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epilepsy is highly prevalent in people with intellectual disabilities and is associated with increased mortality and high healthcare usage. This systematic review summarizes research on service responses to people with intellectual disabilities and epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies published from 1990 were identified via electronic searches using Medline, Cinahl, PsycINFO and Web of Science, email requests to researcher networks, and cross-citations. Information extracted from studies was reviewed narratively in relation to identified themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall study quality was low, with no RCTs or similarly robust intervention study designs. Access to specialists was inconsistent. The importance of proxies and the need for education regarding epilepsy for staff, carers and people with intellectual disabilities were highlighted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are no methodologically robust studies on service-related interventions for people with intellectual disabilities and epilepsy. Further research on improving service delivery is required to substantiate findings reported here.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Disability Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Centre for Disability Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Susannah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baines
authors.affiliation: Centre for Disability Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.|Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emerson
authors.affiliation: Centre for Disability Research, Division of Health Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hatton
mesh_terms: D015897:Comorbidity; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: epilepsy; intellectual disabilities; service responses