Rationale and key points

People with learning disabilities often have long-term conditions that require the regular use of medicines. Medicines adherence can be particularly challenging in this population and support with taking medicines is often not provided in a way that meets people’s needs. Suboptimal medicines adherence can negatively affect the health outcomes of people with learning disabilities, which are already poorer than those of the general population.

• Achieving optimal medicines adherence among people with learning disabilities requires a multi-component strategy that includes education, reasonable adjustments and medication reviews.

• Factors that cause and/or contribute to suboptimal medicines adherence among people with learning disabilities include burdensome medicine regimens, medicines prescribed in unsuitable forms, overmedication and overprescribing, lack of medication reviews, lack of reasonable adjustments, suboptimal communication from healthcare professionals and suboptimal care coordination.

• Family and carers are often those who administer medicines, so it is crucial to involve, educate and support them about the person’s medicine regimen so that they can help ensure the medicines are taken as prescribed.

Reflective activity

‘ How to’ articles can help you to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of:

• How this article might improve your practice when supporting a person with a learning disability to take their medicines as prescribed.

• How you could use this information to educate nursing students or colleagues on the appropriate actions to take to support a person with a learning disability to take their medicines as prescribed.