title: Postural care for people with intellectual disabilities and severely impaired motor function: A scoping review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Poor postural care can have severe and life-threatening complications. This scoping review aims to map and summarize existing evidence regarding postural care for people with intellectual disabilities and severely impaired motor function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies were identified via electronic database searches (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science) covering January 1990 to March 2016, and email requests to researcher networks. Results were collated via descriptive numerical summary of studies and thematic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-three studies were identified and summarized narratively in relation to three themes: characteristics and prevalence, interventions and service related issues. The evidence base is small with significant gaps. Lack of evidence for night-time positioning equipment and 24-hr postural care needs to be addressed urgently.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Future research should be clearly directed towards ascertaining how best postural care interventions can be employed to help improve the health and quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Disability Research, Division of Health Research, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Centre for Disability Research, Division of Health Research, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Susannah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baines
authors.affiliation: Centre for Disability Research, Division of Health Research, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.|Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney, Lidcombe, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emerson
authors.affiliation: Centre for Disability Research, Division of Health Research, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hatton
mesh_terms: D015897:Comorbidity; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: intellectual disabilities; postural care; scoping review