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Barriers to Health Care Services and the Role of the Physician

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Physical Health of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

People with intellectual disability experience poorer health compared to the general population and have a significantly decreased life expectancy. Whilst some of the differences can be explained by the etiology of an individual’s disability and its associated comorbidities, there are also significant differences in health status resulting from poor quality healthcare. In other words, health inequalities. This chapter addresses the barriers to the delivery of health care to people with intellectual disability through an analysis of five issues: accessibility, mobility and sensory impairment; behavioral problems; communication; knowledge, attitudes and accessing specialist services; and time and resources. The chapter also explores some of the ways that barriers can be overcome by health care providers through the use of reasonable adjustments.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Delivery Unit, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, Cardiff, UK

    Harriet Slater

  2. Centre for Academic Primary Care, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

    Helen Baxter

  3. Psychiatry at Cardiff University, Wales and an Honorary Professor at the School of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, UK

    Mike Kerr

Authors
  1. Harriet Slater
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  2. Helen Baxter
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  3. Mike Kerr
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mike Kerr .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Greenfields, Birmingham, UK

    Vee P. Prasher

  2. University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Matthew P. Janicki

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Slater, H., Baxter, H., Kerr, M. (2019). Barriers to Health Care Services and the Role of the Physician. In: Prasher, V., Janicki, M. (eds) Physical Health of Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90083-4_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90083-4_19

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-90083-4

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