Disability Often Neglected In Medical School Curricula

Introduction

Negative perceptions about disability negatively impact workforce diversity in the medical field. Within medical school curricula, disability is frequently presented as a “problem” that physicians must diagnose and treat. As a result, some teachers and students take it upon themselves, either individually or within affinity groups, to develop disability-related content.

Main article

According to previous research, U.S. physicians have reported feeling unprepared to care for people with disabilities and have revealed significant negative biases about this population. A new Northwestern Medicine study has found that much of this could be due to their medical school training.

Medical school curricula often view disability as a problem, leading doctors in training to make negative assumptions about the health and quality of life of people with disabilities, the study found. The lack of sufficient training in medical schools on disabilities and disability-related care in all settings perpetuates ableism and leaves physicians in training inadequately prepared, said corresponding author Carol Haywood, assistant professor of medical social sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

“Doctors don’t know how to care for people with disabilities because they never learned,” Haywood said. “Ultimately, our work reveals how medical education may be playing a critical role in creating and perpetuating ideas that people with disabilities are rare and unworthy of medical care.”

The study was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Negative attitudes, inaccessible exam rooms

More than one in four American adults has some type of disability, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with disabilities experience significant disparities in health care quality, access and outcomes , such as negative attitudes on the part of doctors, inaccessible examination rooms, and lack of proper communication methods.

“Doctors often think that disability is important for certain specialties (for example, physical medicine and rehabilitation), but if this is not their specialty, they assume that they don’t have to think about disability access and quality of care. care of their patient panel,” Haywood said.

“While we have known for some years about physician bias and discrimination against people with disabilities in healthcare, this new work emphasizes the need for medical schools and regulatory bodies like the ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) and the LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education) to take on the responsibility of educating future physicians about the care of people with disabilities,” said co-author Dr. Tara Lagu, associate professor of medicine and medical social sciences in Feinberg.

Critical deficiencies in medical education

Interviews with faculty and students at US medical schools between September 2021 and February 2022 revealed the following prominent themes related to critical gaps in medical education:

1: Disability often neglected in medical education curricula

Participants said that disability was only mentioned in selected lectures throughout all years of medical school, and/or that disability was incorporated only in elective courses, largely relegating essential training to students or faculty who were already familiar or interested in disability. One faculty participant said;

“The fact that disability training is not required and is not considered a core part of the medical school curriculum reinforces the idea that these are not really your patients or they are not important enough for you to learn about them.”

2: Disability is presented as a “problem” within individuals

Most medical schools define disability as a condition within an individual that must be diagnosed and treated, rather than something rooted in physical barriers, social prejudices, and stigmatization. One student said;

“Just seeing how biases can continue through generations of doctors, whether that means thinking of disability as a tragedy or a medical condition.”

3: Negative ideas about disability have a direct negative effect on workforce diversity in medicine

Participants described the abandonment of disability training and the reduction of disability to pathology as part of a “hidden curriculum” in medical education that ultimately teaches medical students that disability does not belong in society. . By extension, students with disabilities are often viewed as weak or unable to excel in their medical practice. One participant said;

“We’re just sending the message from the beginning that they are not welcome, which is very damaging in every way possible.”

4: On reliance on ad hoc, teacher- and student-led efforts to cultivate curricular change.

When their own training was not sufficient, faculty and students sought personal mentorship and communities of practice to discuss and understand disability-related health care. One student said;

“It’s hard to be angry at doctors because they weren’t taught how to do it or they weren’t taught how to ask the questions, or it wasn’t emphasized. That’s why we come back to this article about medical education.”

How Northwestern is addressing these curriculum gaps

Advancing disability-related medical education will require systemic reform, scientists said. There has been a growing push for “disability-competent” and “ability-aware” medical education.

At Feinberg, Dr. Leslie Rydberg, associate professor of medical medicine and rehabilitation and of medical education, has been charged with transforming the way physicians-in-training learn about disability.

For example, medical students obtain a history from people with a disability, focusing on asking about the patient’s disability and their role; learn directly from guest speakers who are people with disabilities who share their journey in the medical system; learn from various members of the rehabilitation team, including a physical therapist, occupational therapist, and speech therapist, who discuss their roles in the assessment and treatment of people with disabilities; and work with an inpatient rehabilitation team and participate in the health care of people with disabilities, including inpatient rounds, physical examinations, clinical decision making, documentation in the medical record, and more.

The study is titled “The forgotten minority: the perpetuation of ableism in medical education”.

This study serves as a wake-up call for medical educators, policymakers, and healthcare institutions to address critical gaps in disability-related education. By perpetuating ableism and neglecting the diverse needs of people with disabilities, medical schools risk failing both their students and the broader patient population. The innovative efforts of institutions like Northwestern University illustrate that significant change is possible, but widespread reform is essential. Ensuring that future physicians are prepared to provide equitable and compassionate care to all patients is not just a professional obligation—it is a moral imperative. Disabled World (DW).

Attribution/Source(s):
This peer-reviewed publication was selected for publication by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its important relevance to the disability community. Originally written by Northwestern Universityand published on 01/15/2025, content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For more details or clarifications, Northwestern University He can be contacted at northwestern.edu. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranty or endorsement related to this item.

Information and page references

Disabled World (DW) is a comprehensive online resource providing information and news related to disabilities, assistive technologies, and accessibility issues. Founded in 2004, our website covers a wide range of topics, including disability rights, healthcare, education, employment and independent living, with the goal of supporting the disability community and their families.

Cite this page (APA): Northwestern University. (2025, January 15). Disability is often neglected in medical school curricula. Disabled World (DW). Retrieved January 16, 2025 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/medical-school.php

Permanent link: Disability often neglected in medical school curricula: A call for medical education reform to address ableism and improve disability training and ensure equitable and compassionate care for all patients.

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