ORCID

Abstract

BackgroundPeople with intellectual disability experience substantialhealth inequities, including higher multimorbidity, increasedhealthcare utilisation and markedly reduced life expectancy.High-quality research is essential to address these disparities.The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)funded Research Delivery Network provides the infrastructure/expertise/support needed to deliver NIHR-funded studies, andsupports studies funded by a non-commercial/industry partner. However, the effectiveness of NIHR-funded studies versusthose supported in driving impactful intellectual disabilityresearch remains unclear.AimsTo evaluate and compare the outcomes of NIHR-funded andsupported intellectual disability research.MethodAll NIHR studies (funded/supported) relating to intellectualdisability (2010–2020) were identified through systematicregister searches. Primary outcomes included publicationrates and impact on local, national and international clinicalguidelines. Data collection was supplemented with a questionnaire to chief investigators and literature searches.Quantitative analyses examined associations between fundingstatus, study design, publication and guideline impact,whereas qualitative responses explored implementationchallenges.ResultsIn total, 88 projects were identified, and 42% (37/88) wereNIHR-funded. Overall, 81% of studies generated at least onepublication and 28% informed clinical guidelines. NIHR fundingwas not significantly associated with publication or guidelineimpact. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were significantlymore likely to be published and more likely to influence non-UKnational and international guidelines than non-RCTs. The amountof funding showed no association with impact. Qualitativefindings highlighted funding constraints, staff capacity andstakeholder engagement as key determinants ofimplementation.ConclusionsNIHR-funded intellectual disability research was no more likelythan NIHR-supported studies to result in publications orguideline impact.

Publication Date

2026-04-21

Publication Title

BJPsych Open

Volume

12

ISSN

2056-4724

Deposit Date

2026-04-21

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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