Intro to PMR 2023 Career Sessions-Intro to PMR 2023 Disabilities and Physician Bias

Video Transcription
Video Summary
In this video, Dr. Dorothy Tulchin, the Director of Medical Student Education for the Department of PM&R at Spaulding Rehab Hospital, discusses the role of physiatrists in providing comprehensive care for patients with disabilities. She emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing physician bias in order to provide inclusive and accessible care. <br /><br />Dr. Tulchin highlights that people with disabilities make up a large minority population in the United States and the world, and can have a wide range of disabilities including physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, developmental, and communication disabilities. She discusses the historical perspective on disability in healthcare, where disability was seen as a problem to be fixed and resulted in substandard care. However, there has been a gradual shift in attitudes and inclusion towards disability as an interaction between person, environment, and society. <br /><br />Dr. Tulchin also discusses the ongoing disparities in healthcare for individuals with disabilities, explaining that they are more likely to have chronic health conditions, engage in unhealthy behaviors, and have limited access to healthcare. She identifies barriers to accessible care, including physical, communication, systemic, and clinician-level barriers. <br /><br />To address these disparities, Dr. Tulchin suggests several opportunities for physicians to mitigate bias and improve clinical care for patients with disabilities. These include using person-first language, adopting the biopsychosocial model of disability, practicing disability humility, and addressing ableism. <br /><br />In terms of disability education in medical schools, Dr. Tulchin acknowledges that it is still quite heterogeneous, with many schools providing limited education on disability. However, she highlights efforts to develop disability competencies and increase disability education in medical curricula. Dr. Tulchin encourages medical students to get involved in disability advocacy by engaging with local community organizations, adaptive sports programs, and Special Olympics. <br /><br />Overall, Dr. Tulchin emphasizes the important role of physiatrists and all clinicians in advocating for and providing inclusive and accessible care for individuals with disabilities.
Keywords
physiatrists
comprehensive care
physician bias
inclusive care
disabilities
healthcare disparities
accessible care
disability education