Choosing Home: The Impact of Choosing Where to Live on People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities' Emergency Department Utilization

Social determinants of health are conditions, factors, and environments that impact people's health. One such metric of people's health is emergency department utilization, but there is less research exploring how social determinants impact the emergency department use of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This exploratory study examined the relationship between people with IDD choosing where and with whom to live—a social determinant of health—and emergency department utilization. We analyzed secondary Personal Outcome Measures data, and emergency department data from 251 people with IDD. Our findings revealed people with IDD who chose where and with whom to live had a 74% decrease in emergency department visits, regardless of their impairment severity. Choice in housing may improve people with IDD's health outcomes.