You’d think health care workers would know about disability, but apparently, disabilities are not discussed or taught in a health care context. Questions over quality of life, ability to decide and choose are all issues that affect people with disability when interacting with the health profession.
An article written by two nurses calls out ableism in health care. Ableism occurs when a person with disability experiences discrimination or prejudice from a health care provider.
They can underestimate the person’s quality of life or competence which affects their level of care. Patients need to feel safe and not to be fearful of being judged or not being heard.
Case study
The article uses a case study of a 60 year old women with Down syndrome to illustrate the issues during the COVID pandemic. This case is not about the care provider being ableist, but being an advocate for the woman. The doctor was pressured by family members to activate the do not resuscitate (DNR) code when the woman entered ICU. The doctor persisted in advocating for the patient and she eventually recovered.
Communication with patients is key. Patients with cognitive disabilities may face attention, memory and comprehension challenges. Nurses must therefore adapt their communication style, learn about the disability and avoid negative language that insults or demeans.
The authors encourage nurses to advocate for people with disability within health care services and in the design of environments.
Ableism isn’t just about patients – it includes family members, and other health care workers. Knowledge can help overcome stereotypes and stigma and improve health and wellbeing for all. Knowledge also helps nurses and other health professionals to feel confident when engaging with people with disability.
This short summary of Ableism in Health Care is open access, and you can access the full paper in the American Journal of Nursing.
Understanding health inequities
A related book, Health Disparities in the Medical Record and Disability Determinations, contains the proceedings of a workshop. It is open access and the introduction says:
“People with disabilities can be any age, face chronic health conditions or mental illness, belong to a minority group, experience low income or housing insecurity, have limited English proficiency, or a combination of many of these conditions. To better understand the effect of health inequities and the manner in which they affect Social Security Administration’s (SSA) disability programs, the National Academies hosted a public workshop in April 2024 that examined the variety of different experiences of individuals with disabilities and the consequences of those experiences on an individual’s health status, medical record, and SSA disability determinations.”