Advancing health equity for populations with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review of facilitators and barriers to the implementation of health checks and screening

People with intellectual disabilities (IDs) experience extensive health disparities, including premature mortality and higher incidence of chronic disease. These inequities have been linked to reduced access to preventive health care for this population. We review the evidence as it relates to barriers and facilitators of effective implementation of health checks and screenings for people with IDs. We conducted our review according to the PRISMA guidelines. We systematically searched seven academic databases for articles on barriers and facilitators of health check implementation for people with IDs. A total of 17 articles met our inclusion criteria. Four were quantitative articles and 13 were qualitative. Four of the qualitative studies focused on patient experiences of attending health checks and screenings. The remaining 13 studies reported on health professionals’ perspectives on implementation. We noted implementation barriers and facilitators at three levels: Individual, organizational, and structural. Across these levels, we identified 17 distinct implementation factors that may be avoided or harnessed to facilitate health check implementation and access for people with IDs. We discuss our results and potential solutions for better, more effective implementation of health checks and screenings for people with IDs. (author abstract)