Steady growth in the portion of the population age 65 and older in the U.S. and other nations is associated with an increase in the onset of various disabilities. As noted in an article published in January 2022 in the Disability and Health Journal, individuals with disabilities often face significant barriers to health care, including lack of accessible transport and facilities; limited financial protection; poor health worker attitudes that result in worse outcomes; or limited health worker training on disability. Moreover, even in countries where there is guaranteed universal access and financial protection, health workers’ unfamiliarity with disability, or negative attitudes toward patients with disabilities, not only could foster an unwelcoming environment, but also contribute to high rates of patient safety issues and lower quality care. A principal aim described in this journal article was to understand the published literature on training health workers about disability.
The investigators searched five databases for relevant peer-reviewed articles published between January 2012 and January 2021. Studies that focused on training health care workers to improve knowledge, confidence, self-efficacy, and competence to support individuals with physical, sensory, or intellectual impairments were included. Data about the details of the intervention (setting, participants, format, impact assessments, etc.) and its effects were extracted. They found that there is an array of highly local tools to train health workers across stages of their training and careers (preservice, in-service, and continuing professional development). Studies involving patients with disabilities in the training, community placements, simulations, or interactive sessions were found to be most effective in improving knowledge, confidence, competency, and self-efficacy. These researchers concluded that as part of initiatives to build inclusive health systems and improve health outcomes, health workers around the world need to receive appropriate and evidence-based training that combines multiple methods and involves people with disabilities. To monitor progress on the impact of training, there also should be a standardized measure of impact on core outcomes. Additionally, while focusing on training by impairment is useful, there also is a need to have holistic disability training. Improving the standardization of core competencies that training on disability should address and measures of impact for disability training can further improve progress in this area.