Clients with intellectual disabilities on psychiatric units: care coordination for positive outcomes

The transition from residential facilities to and from the psychiatric hospital setting is difficult for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). In the U.S.A., specialized psychiatric units for individuals with ID are uncommon and this population is usually served in generalized services. Nevertheless, providers of mental health services in the U.S.A. receive little training in their specific needs. Best practices call for coordination of plans between psychiatric units and community agencies, multidisciplinary care plans, staff education and comprehensive discharge planning in order to improve outcomes of psychiatric hospitalization. An inner city psychiatric unit in a major academic medical centre and a community agency providing residential care for individuals with ID cooperated to provide a plan of care for a client with ID both for hospitalization and for discharge leading to improved outcomes.