Healthcare Utilisation in Ageing Adults With Intellectual Disability: Longitudinal Evidence From Five Waves of IDS ‐ TILDA

BACKGROUND: Adults with intellectual disability are living longer and ageing with more illness. This impacts healthcare utilisation. Yet little is known about how healthcare utilisation changes over time as this population ages. METHODS: Five waves of longitudinal data of people ≥ 40 years with intellectual disability from 2009 to 2023 were analysed. Generalised linear multilevel models examined associations between sociodemographic characteristics and multimorbidity with patterns of General Practitioner (GP), outpatient and emergency department use. RESULTS: GP use was consistently high across all waves. Outpatient use increased as people aged, while emergency department use was associated with age greater than 65, multimorbidity and conditions such as neurological, joint, gastrointestinal, endocrine and heart disease. Residence was a significant factor influencing healthcare utilisation. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that multimorbidity, residence and age were associated with healthcare utilisation. These are important insights to help support the planning of accessible and preventative health services for this population.