OFFERING HEALTH CHECKS TO PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AS PART OF MEDICAL STUDENTS' PRIMARY CARE COURSE
Peju Raji, Malcolm McCoubrie, Wendy Perez, Jackie Downer and Sheila Hollins

Although people with intellectual disabilities have ordinary health care needs and rights of access to health services, their health outcomes fall short when compared with outcomes for people who do not have intellectual disabilities.
The barriers to accessing effective health services which must be lowered or removed arise from

• the learning and communication difficulties of people with intellectual disabilities and
  
• the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of health professionals.
  
  Fourth year medical students in St. George's, University of London are trained in communication skills by people with intellectual disabilities and clinicians. Part of this training includes the supervised completion of a basic healthcare check with a person with an intellectual disability. This involves the use of a "health check questionnaire" alongside other clinical procedures. The questionnaire was devised by a General Practitioner and two people with intellectual disabilities employed by the Division of Mental Health as Training Advisors.
  
  Using the "St. George's Health Check Questionnaire" alerts the medical students to the importance of being proactive in attending to the primary health care needs of people with intellectual disabilities. A wide range of new health problems and old ones not receiving attention are usually found. This information is shared with the people with intellectual disabilities, their families or support personnel, and as importantly, their General Practitioner. It should be noted that the "St. George's Health Check Questionnaire" was developed and is used for the purposes of medical education in primary care. It is not a free-standing instrument for use in isolation from primary care.
  
  
  

  THE ST. GEORGE'S HEALTH CHECK QUESTIONNAIRE

  
  

  Click here to download a printable PDF version of the questionnaire. If you have difficulty opening this file you may need to install Adobe Reader on your computer. This can be downloaded free of charge from the Adobe website.

  
  

  How are you feeling now?
  Have you any long standing health problems? If yes, give details
  Are you allergic to anything? If yes, give details
  Do you need help to go out? If yes, give details
  Have you seen anyone for help with worries or feelings recently? If yes, give details
  When did you last see your own doctor?
  Do you take medicine or tablets from the doctor often? If yes, give details
  Do you buy other medicines or drugs? If yes, give details
  Do you smoke? If yes, give details
  Have you had injections? Tick boxes, putting dates if known
  As a child
  TB
  Hepatitis A/B
  Tetanus
  Flu
  Has anyone you know died recently? Give details
  Have any near relatives died young? Give details if aged less than 60
  If you have problems in any of these different areas Tell us about them
  Moving about
  Hearing
  Seeing
  Teeth, Mouth
  Skin, Hair, Nails, Feet
  Going to the toilet (Bowels, Bladder)
  Breathing Heart Thumping
  Eating, Weight
  Birth Control, Periods
  Fits or Turns
  Tiredness
  Pain or Soreness
  Women's health Birth Control, Periods, Discharge
  Most recent Smear test? (Women 18-70 yrs only)
  Most recent Mammogram (Breast Test)? (Women 50-70 yrs only)
  Men's health lumps and bumps down below, discharge, birth control
  If there's anything else you think we should know Mention it here

This article first appeared on the site in 2002. This article first appeared on the site in 2002.

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