Preparing Health Professionals to Provide Care to Individuals with Disabilities

Abstract

Methodology An e-mailed questionnaire with follow-up was sent to 198 deans of dental/medical schools, 1,628 directors of residency programs in nine medical/dental residency programs, 427 medical students in 12 medical schools, and 368 health related organizations, facilities and programs.Results More than half (58%) of the responding deans of medical schools and 50% of the deans of dental schools reported that a curriculum for patients with disabilities was not a high priority at their school. A majority (61%) of deans of medical schools, and 47% of the deans of dental schools, reported that their graduates were competent to treat patients with disabilities. However, majorities of dental/ medical school seniors and graduates expressed inadequate competency in the care of these patients. A majority of the directors of medical/dental residencies indicated a need for additional training for their residents. ConclusionThere is need for increased didactic and clinical preparation of dental/medical school graduates in the care of individuals with special health needs. The interest expressed by health profession educators in an effort to develop appropriate curriculum modules provides an opportunity to prepare new graduates for the care of an increasing population of individuals with disabilities.

Dentists' Perception of the Care of Patients with Special Health CareNeeds in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

“…most dental residencies' directors indicate that their residents require more training with these patients [7,12]. Less than one-half of dental programs in the United States provide hands-on experience with disabled patients [7].…”

Health Care Disparities of Ohioans With Developmental Disabilities Across the Lifespan

“…Health equity in care quality and unmet health care needs may be achieved by incorporating disability education into the undergraduate medical curriculum. Unfortunately, 81% of medical students reported having had no clinical training in disabilities, 9 and 58% of medical school deans reported that a curriculum for patients with disabilities was not a high priority. 10 Physicians in practice and in training have shown inadequacies in their knowledge of disabilities.…”

Community-Engagement Strategies of the Developmental Disabilities Practice-based Research Network (DD-PBRN)

“…While some individuals with DD have complex specialty health care needs that assume much of their health care activity, all are in need of primary care. Unfortunately, many primary care physicians report little formal training in the care of this population (8, 9, 10). …”

“…As illustrated in the prenatal history of DD-PBRN, a shift in organizational dynamics occurred between organizational partners when members of the disabilities and service communities recognized their value as clinical educators to members of the health care system through their involvement as presenters at the Family Medicine Education Consortium annual meetings. The desperate need for basic health information related to DD both within and outside of the health care community will make education an on-going activity of the DD-PBRN (5, 7, 10, 34, 35, 27, 37, 38). …”