A Survey of Medical Schools' Disability Curricula
Poster presented at the New Mexico Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM April 2013.
Abstract
It is a well established problem that people with disabilities (PWD), as with many other groups disadvantaged by social inequities, often receive suboptimal care from health care providers. The root cause of this inequity in care can be traced to a lack of training in dealing with PWD for health care providers. Barriers result from issues of communication, knowledge of resources available, access to clinics/hospitals, difficulty using diagnostic equipment (exam tables, scales, mammography, etc) and attitudes towards PWD. Despite numerous reports outlining this issue and calls to action to address deficiencies in the care of PWD, few medical schools currently address the care of patients with disabilities in their curriculum. This poster provides a survey of disability curricula in medical schools and a summary of their content/approach and effectiveness.
