Breaking down communication barriers for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Both patients with intellectual disabilities and physicians indicate that some of the main barriers to good care are communication challenges and the lack of time during a health care visit. These issues have become even more of a challenge during the COVID pandemic, when primary care moved from in-person to virtual care.
To address these issues, experts in health care for people with intellectual disabilities at Surrey Place and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, teamed up with self-advocate groups, families, and support workers to develop tools that empower patients to share health information with their physician in advance of a doctor’s visit and help them feel more at ease.