Three Things Clinicians Should Know About Disability

Three Things Clinicians Should Know About Disability – by Joel Michael Reynolds, PhD – AMA Journal of Ethics – Dec 2018

The historical relationship between health care professionals and people with disabilities is fraught, a fact all the more troubling in light of the distinctive roles clinicians play in both establishing and responding to that which is considered normal or abnormal by society at large.

I offer an overview of recent disability theory, outline a set of responsibilities clinicians have to disability communities, and provide recommendations for clinicians who hope to justly treat patients with disabilities and improve their care and health outcomes.