Clinical

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

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.

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