Bone health and people with a learning disability who are prescribed epilepsy medication
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Bone health and people with a learning disability who are prescribed epilepsy medication

Indermeet Sawhney Consultant psychiatrist and medical lead, North Essex Learning Disabilities Services, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Braintree, Essex, England
Danielle Adams Principal clinical pharmacist, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Radlett, Hertfordshire, England
Asif Zia Consultant psychiatrist and medical director, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England

People with epilepsy have a higher risk of bone fractures than those without the condition, and contributing factors include increased risk of falls, combined with poor bone health. Patients/service users should be advised by healthcare professionals how to maintain good bone health and reduce the risk of falls. This article reports the results of an audit, undertaken by staff at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, that examined whether the learning disability psychiatrists, who run epilepsy clinics, informed patients about how to reduce these risks. Following the results of the first cycle of audit, appropriate, easy-to-read patient information leaflets were developed, and the audit was repeated. Although the audit involved psychiatrists, the results have implications for learning disability nurses in their role in promoting health and well-being.

Learning Disability Practice. 20, 5, 23-27. doi: 10.7748/ldp.2017.e1844

Correspondence

danielle.adams@hpft.nhs.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Peer review

This article has been subject to double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Received: 20 February 2017

Accepted: 05 June 2017

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