Developing a preliminary, stakeholder-validated service framework for people with intellectual disability: Insights...

People with intellectual disability experience inequities in access to primary healthcare and pharmacists are well positioned to support this population. This study aimed to co-create a pharmacist-led primary care service framework for people with intellectual disability, grounded in participatory principles and informed by stakeholders lived experience.

Within a Participatory Action Research approach, two co-design workshops (online) were conducted with 18 stakeholders, including people with intellectual disability, carers, and health professionals, in the Newcastle/Hunter Region, Australia. A convergent qualitative approach integrated workshop transcripts, field notes, and facilitator debriefs via reflexive thematic analysis to iteratively develop and validate themes. Nominal Group Technique was used to prioritise and refine service concepts.

Stakeholders co-developed a preliminary six-domain service framework: (1) Medication Management; (2) Preventative Care; (3) Monitoring and Referral; (4) Interprofessional Collaboration; (5) Communication and Education; and (6) Availability and Accessibility. Key features included structured chronic disease screening, immunisation delivery, flagging of physical challenges to prompt follow-up, shared care planning across professionals, and communication supports ensuring health literacy.

The participatory co-design process produced a preliminary, stakeholder-validated, multi-dimensional framework. Given the limited lived-experience representation and short duration of engagement, the framework should be considered an early prototype requiring further refinement, pilot testing, and broader validation before generalisation.