For most of us, a visit to a doctor’s office for a medical check-up or for treatment of a medical problem is no big deal. We do what we are asked to do, whether it is to sit or lie on an examination table, stand on a scale or prepare for an X-ray or scan. There are those, however, who cannot conform to the medical equipment that requires patients to stand, climb, sit or lie because they are either elderly or disabled. This, according to research showing that elderly people or those with disabilities often do not go for the treatment they need.

A study by June Isaacson Kailes, associate director of the Center for Disability Issues and the Health Professions at the Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA, found in a national survey that people with a variety of limitations can’t follow the usual instructions of sitting on an examining table, reading an eye chart, staying still, etc. Therefore these people tend not to get the treatment that they need.

In the national survey Kailes found that disabled people have problems using X-ray machines, rehabilitation equipment, scales and scanning devices, like MRIs. She also discovered that the most common problem was getting onto an examining table and that most doctors don’t consider this a problem, because they feel that an examination in a wheelchair is adequate. Kailes argues that, in fact, the physician is missing half of a person’s body and can’t perform a thorough examination of certain areas of the body like the skin or a breast exam.

Mary Lou Breslin (who uses a wheelchair) is a world-famous disability rights advocate and founder of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. She has first-hand experience having undergone treatment for breast cancer, and has recommendations for disabled individuals about getting proper access to health care.

Breslin suggests: Always call ahead and speak to an office manager (in a doctor’s office) or a compliance officer or patient representative (in a hospital) to make sure the facilities comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. They will work with a patient to identify barriers that might be present and how to overcome these challenges. Ask around and find a doctor that has worked with patients with disabilities. Making phone calls to doctors and other people with disabilities is one place to start, or call a local “independent living center,” – an education and advocacy center that is run by people with disabilities.

Dr. Krist Kirschner of the Rehabilitation Institution of Chicago recommends that if a patient has problems getting onto an exam table, they could ask if the office has an exam table that is lower than 20 inches or if there is a mechanical lift and trained personnel to operate it. If a person is deaf, there should be someone available to provide sign language or another means of communication, and those who are blind should ask for forms and information on tape or other formats designed for the blind.

Breslin also says it is important to know your rights as a patient. Health care providers are required to comply with the ADA and other federal laws – but many are slow to do so.

by Joan Trombetti, Writer
September 2007