Parents' perspectives on reasonable adjustments in acute healthcare for people with intellectual disability: A qualitative  descriptive study

Aim: To describe parents' perspectives on reasonable adjustments in acute healthcare  for people with intellectual disability (ID). Background: People with ID are vulnerable in terms of their health needs and marginalized when accessing and utilizing acute healthcare services. Reasonable adjustments  are positive measures that can help alleviate health disparities. However, despite significant research advocating their use, evidence of implementation of reasonable adjustments in acute healthcare practice is limited. Design: A qualitative descriptive study. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with six parents  of children with ID, who had accessed and used acute healthcare services. The interviews were conducted between January and May 2022, audio-recordings were  transcribed and thematically analysed. Results: Parents described limited or no experiences of reasonable adjustments when  accessing or utilizing acute healthcare services for their children. The findings are captured in three themes; describing the reality, understanding the impact and signposting  the future. The findings highlight a lack of implementation of reasonable adjustments  in acute healthcare which negatively impacts the experience of all stakeholders. Conclusion: There is a pressing need for reasonable adjustments to be implemented  at a strategic level across acute healthcare services, so that people with ID and their  families can access person-centred acute healthcare when needed. Impact: The research findings will inform researchers interested in reasonable adjustments and implementation research, and those interested in advocating for the rights  of people with ID. Reporting Method: This study adhered to the Equator research reporting checklist:  Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research: a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. Patient or Public Contribution: A parent of a child with an ID was part of the research  team informing the design, data collection, data analysis and write-up of this article