ObjectivesTo investigate whether people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in residential setting were more likely than people from the general population to request out-of-hours general practitioner (GP) care and whether these requests had a similar level of urgency.DesignCross-sectional routine data-based study.SettingTwo GP cooperatives providing out-of-hours primary care in an area in the Netherlands.Population432 582 persons living in the out-of-hours service areas, of which 1448 could be identified as having an ID.Main outcome measuresGP cooperative records of all contacts in 2014 for people with and without ID were used to calculate the relative risk of requesting care and the associated level of urgency.ResultsOf the people with ID (448/1448), 30.9% requested out-of-hours GP care, whereas for the general population this was 18.4% (79 206/431 134), resulting in a relative risk of 1.7 (95% CI 1.6 to 1.8). We found a different distribution of urgency level for people with and without ID. Generally, requests for people with ID were rated as less urgent.ConclusionPeople with ID in residential setting were more likely to request out-of-hours GP care than the general population. The distribution of the urgency level of requests differed between the two groups. The high percentage of demands relating to people with ID requesting counselling and advice suggests that some out-of-hours GP care may be avoidable. However, more insight is needed into the nature of out-of-hours primary care requests of people with ID to direct structural and reasonable adjustments towards the improvement of health information exchange in and around-the-clock access to primary care for people with ID.

Background Little is known about the health needs of people with intellectual disabilities who access out‐of‐hours primary care services, raising concerns about accessibility and quality of care for this group. This study aims to identify commonly presented health problems of people with intellectual disabilities in this specific setting compared with the general population. Method Cross‐sectional study with routine data at two out‐of‐hours cooperatives with a total of 41,166 persons aged 20–65 requesting outof‐hours primary care in 2014, of which 315 persons were identified as having an intellectual disability. Results Having an intellectual disability was associated with a higher probability of presenting with epilepsy (OR 45.65) and concerns about, and adverse effects of, medical treatment (OR 23.37, and 8.41, respectively). Conclusions Given the high rates of epilepsy and medication‐related concerns of people with intellectual disabilities, this study suggests that these issues require special attention to improve the accessibility and quality of out‐of‐hours primary care.