Towards the Equality of People with Disabilities in the Health System: The Preparedness of Health Workers to Work with People with Hearing, Visual, Movement and Mental Disabilities

Abstract

Even though the recent decades have witnessed extensive attempts around the world to ensure the equality of people with disabilities in the health system, it has not been achieved yet. To some extent, the problem is related to the education of health workers to work with people with disabilities. In order to gain more understanding in this regard, this paper focuses on the preparedness of health workers to work with people with hearing, visual, movement and mental disabilities: Is there a link between the studies of the health care workers in higher schools and their preparedness to deal with the specific problems that arise when working with people with hearing, visual, movement and mental disabilities? How does a specific subject / module on working with people with disabilities relate to the preparedness of health workers to address these specific issues? How is it related to the integrated preparation during the study years to work with people with disabilities? A survey of 664 health workers (doctors, nurses, kinesiotherapists, and social workers) working in Lithuania has been conducted. The research revealed that a number of health workers were not properly prepared in higher schools to work with people with hearing, visual, movement and mental disabilities. The research has also revealed that while studying a specific subject / module about working with people with disabilities or studying it in an integrated way across a variety of study activities, health professionals become better prepared to deal with the specific problems of working with people with hearing, visual, movement and mental disabilities. The results of the study suggest the necessity to pay more attention to the particularity of working with people with disabilities in health workers education, so that they are more prepared to work with people with hearing, visual, movement and mental disabilities and ensure more equality and non-discrimination in the healthcare system.