Primary Care Perspectives: Disability Awareness: How to improve communication and care for patients with disabilities - Episode 139

Primary Care Perspectives: Podcast for Pediatricians

Approximately one-quarter of Americans have disabilities. How can primary care pediatricians better support the health and goals of patients with disabilities? Danielle Barber, MD, PhD, attending physician, Division of Neurology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, discusses: the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF); making care decisions based on the child’s wishes and goals, such as swimming; fostering the growth of a disability identity; presumptions in diagnosing everyday ailments in patients with disability; how community integration and the ability to function affect quality of life and perceived good health; changes in the office setting to improve the patient experience; suggestions for resources and “first steps”; and more.