Patient Safety | 02.16.21
Many Doctors Have Negative Perceptions of Patients With Disabilities — and That Impacts Quality of Care, Study Finds
by CNN
CNN (02/04/21) Kent, Lauren
A study from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital has found that over 82% of American doctors say they believe patients with significant disabilities have a worse quality of life versus people without disabilities. According to the researchers, these negative views can have significant impacts on the quality of care disabled patients receive. For example, many doctors do not believe disabled patients are sexually active. This means they often do not provide them with information on contraception, sexually transmitted infections and testing for cancers associated with sexual activity. Many surgeons also presume women with disabilities who have breast cancer prefer mastectomies instead of breast-conserving surgery. This is because doctors presume these patients do not care about their physical appearance.v
Read the full study from CNN.