According to the Rutgers Health Study, people with disabilities have access to healthcare, access to negative interactions with healthcare providers, and have more negative interactions than people with disabilities.
studyIt is published in Research into health services By researchers from Rutgers Health, Healthcare Policy, Aging Research Institute and Rutgers School of Public Healthwe examined patient provider interactions among US adults to assess differences in medical experience, whether they assess satisfaction, timeliness of care, and presence or absence of individuals with disabilities.
According to Previous research1 in 4 people in the United States have a disability. People with disabilities experience significant health disparities, and structural inequality in the health system presents barriers to access quality health care for people with disabilities.
Using data from a nationally representative study, researchers looked at reported experiences of health services by patients with a variety of disabilities conditions. According to the study, people with disabilities rated healthcare services lower than the general population. For example, patients with disabilities were less likely to report that their providers were listening carefully, spending ample time, easy to understand, or respectful.
“Our findings highlight the capacity for disabled people and the need for positive health care, particularly during a time when policies and initiatives affecting disabled patients are under attack,” he said. Elizabeth Stoneteachers Health Services Research Center Rutgers Health, Institute for Healthcare Policy and Aging Studies, Chief Author of the study.
One such policy is Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination based on disability under federal funding programs and was updated in July 2024 to enhance protection for disabled people in the healthcare environment. 17 states submitted in the fall of 2024 Litigation We are seeking to close Section 504.
The researchers also found that people with multiple disorders had the lowest satisfaction rate, with people with physical, cognitive and multiple disorders significantly worsening their healthcare services experience than those with sensory disorders.
“Dealing with disparities in the quality of health care for patients with disabilities requires a unique approach that depends on the specific needs of people,” said Stone, a psychiatry instructor. Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “However, ultimately, intervention at the structure level is required to address these differences in patient experience.”
Co-authors include Rutgers Health, Healthcare Policy, Aging Studies, and Stephen Crystal and Hillary samples from Sophia Bonsigna at Rutgers School of Public Health.
