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Healthcare Providers’ Experiences with Autism: A Scoping Review

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Abstract

Gaps in research knowledge exist regarding patient-provider interactions with individuals with autism in healthcare settings. To address this, a scoping review was conducted focusing on the experiences of healthcare professionals working with individuals with autism. A systematic search and screen of the literature resulted in 27 relevant studies. Six key themes were found across these 27 studies including (1) complexity beyond usual role, (2) limited knowledge and resources, (3) training/prior experience, (4) communication and collaboration, (5) need for information and training, and (6) need for care coordination and systemic changes. The results of this review have implications for future research and practice and should be considered when reflecting on opportunities to enhance research and service provision with individuals with autism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of British Columbia, 2080 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2, Canada

    Rae Morris

  2. The Redpath Centre, 410-943 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Rae Morris

  3. Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor St West, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Andrea Greenblatt & Michael Saini

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  1. Rae Morris
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Contributions

RM conceived of the study; participated in its design and coordination; participated in collection, interpretation and analysis of data; and drafted the manuscript. AG participated in the design, interpretation and analysis of the data, and helped to draft the manuscript. MS participated in interpretation of data, and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Rae Morris.

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Morris, R., Greenblatt, A. & Saini, M. Healthcare Providers’ Experiences with Autism: A Scoping Review. J Autism Dev Disord 49, 2374–2388 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-03912-6

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