Core Competency #2: Professionalism and Patient-Centered Care Panel

Jodi Collins, Dean Fadel, Michelle Motil and Katie Robinson

Adherence to principles of professionalism, communication, and respect during interactions with people with disabilities, as well as building an understanding of the patient’s perspective, is essential for effective health care for patients with disabilities.

Learning Objectives

After completing this training, attendees will:

• Summarize the historical health care experiences of many people with disabilities, including encounters with untrained providers, poor treatment, and denial of care.
• Explore and mitigate their own implicit biases and avoid making assumptions about a person’s abilities or lack of abilities and lifestyle.
• Identify and utilize strategies to best meet the needs/abilities of the patient, including: communication needs, level of health literacy, supported decision making.
• Discuss issues of trust, confidence, and confidentiality with patients who receive support during health care encounters.
• Recognize how people with disabilities may consider their devices and equipment an extension of their person and describe implications for practice (e.g., wheelchair, assistive communication device, crutches, service animal, etc.).