A recent study from Sweden looks at whether adults with Down syndrome adhere to medical guidelines.
Specific medical guidelines for health surveillance exist for people with Down syndrome (DS) since 25 years but knowledge of adherence to the guidelines is lacking. The guidelines were developed to avoid unnecessary suffering from preventable conditions. The aims of the study were to investigate 1) planned health care visits in relation to the co-morbidities described in specific medical guidelines as a measure of adherence, 2) unplanned health care visits as a measure of potentially unmet health care needs and 3) gender differences in health care utilisation among older people with DS.
Considering the fact that new adult guidelines have just been released, it will be interesting to see if they create change in caregiving, and if so how soon and how much.
To view the new guidelines, visit the JAMA Network.