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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
07:37
Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: August 1, 2017
Make no assumptions: communication between persons with disabilities and clinicians
1Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
Assistive Technology : the Official Journal of RESNA
|January 24, 2007
Summary
Improving healthcare quality for people with disabilities requires patient-centered communication. Clinicians should avoid assumptions and directly ask patients about their needs and preferences for better collaboration and care.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Disability Studies
- Patient-Centered Care
Background:
- Healthcare quality improvement necessitates respecting patient preferences, needs, and values.
- Persons with disabilities often face external definitions of their lives and opportunities.
- Patient-centered care hinges on open communication, free from erroneous assumptions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore communication challenges between clinicians and patients with disabilities.
- To identify strategies for fostering collaborative care partnerships.
- To transform traditional patient-clinician relationships for improved outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative interviews with individuals with diverse disabilities.
- Analysis of communication barriers and facilitators in healthcare settings.
- Exploration of clinicians' perceptions and assumptions.
Main Results:
- A common theme of faulty communication emerged from interviews.
- Shortfalls included communication accommodation failures and incorrect clinician perceptions.
- Clinicians' misunderstandings regarding medical conditions, assistive technology, and daily life impacts were noted.
Conclusions:
- Transforming patient-clinician relationships is crucial for collaborative care.
- Two key precepts improve communication: make no assumptions and ask patients directly.
- Implementing these principles can enhance care for patients with disabilities.
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