Unscheduled healthcare for children with intellectual disabilities: A systematic scoping review.

Background: The provision of unscheduled healthcare for children with intellectual disability is less researched than that focused on hospital settings or for adult services. The aim of the scoping review was to map the evidence base in this area and identify areas for future study.

Method: A five-stage scoping review framework was adopted. CINAHL, PubMed, SCOPUS, PsycINFO, Embase, ProQuest Dissertation & Theses and Google Scholar were searched. Studies published in English after 1/1/2000 were considered eligible for inclusion.

Results: A total of 3158 titles and abstracts were screened, 137 full-text articles were reviewed, and 25 papers met the inclusion criteria. Descriptive themes focused on inequities, needs and experiences of families', poor GP training, and limitations of existing evidence.

Conclusion: Describing trends in healthcare utilisation by this population is valuable for monitoring quality of healthcare, however, addressing observed inequities will require approaches that recognise specific issues within the health system that result in inequities.