According to the article by Pouls et al. (2021) on the adults suffering from the mental health disorder (MHD) and the intellectual disabilities (ID) in primary healthcare, general practitioners (GPs) are unprecedentedly receiving and handling patients suffering from MHD and ID stemming from the societal complexity (Pouls et al., 2021). The study established that currently there is insignificant care offered to such patients subjecting them to severe Mental Health Diagnosis. Therefore, there is a need for the GP care quality enhancement to improve the entire mental healthcare for the above-mentioned group of patients improving the content overview and the standard of care offered to such patients resulting in positive healthcare outcomes. The study aimed to offer an updated literature care overview provided by the healthcare practitioners to patients suffering from MHD and ID, establish knowledge gaps, and enlighten the researchers and healthcare policy makers on the opportunities to elevate the care for this patient group.
To acquire published literature materials about the primary care for patients suffering from MHD and ID, the researcher explored grey literature, PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE. The articles that fit the requirements were quantitatively examined. The themes established included caregiver role, GP role, standardized approach, knowledge and experience, and standardized approach (Pouls et al., 2021). The results indicated that a diversified GP is vital in caring for patients with MDH and ID; however, there are inappropriate training programs in place to empower GPs, applicable guidelines and equipment, payment models, and maximum collaborative mental health disorder care (Pouls et al., 2021).
People with ID require more healthcare due to higher rates of illness and early death compared those without ID. They are vulnerable to stress and depression because of the stigmatization they experienced in their daily life. Moreover, the care offered to a significant number of patients with ID and MHDs are limited because of lack of identification, communication problem, inadequate assessment tools, and treatment modalities. Therefore, I appreciate the researcher of the article for providing insight into the issues and offering strategic measures to handle the situation.
