Accessibility of gynaecology consultation rooms in Poland for individuals using wheelchairs in the opinion of women with physical disability

Abstract

Introduction: Little is known about the quality of adaptations of medical facilities that enable access to comprehensive gynaecological care for women with motor disability. The purpose of the study was to gather opinions of women using wheelchairs on the subject concerning the degree of adaptation of gynaecological offices for their needs. Material and methods: The study group included 120 women with motor disability, moving with use of a wheelchair. The most common causes of disability of the studied women were: spinal cord injury (31.7%) and cerebral palsy (29.2%). The study was conducted with use of an original survey questionnaire consisting of 20 questions on the subject matter and 6 questions about respondent’s particulars. Results: The study has shown that 20% of women have never visited a gynaecologist and 66.7% of them indicated a difficulty to find an appropriately adapted doctor’s office to be the cause of this situation. In a 0–5 scale, the women who had gynaecological visits most commonly rated the adjustment of gynaecology consultation rooms in their places of residence as 0 (40% of women). 75% of women answered that accessibility of the gynaecology consultation rooms affects the frequency of their visits at a gynaecologist. Conclusions: Based on the studied group of women, difficult access to gynaecology consultation rooms adapted to the needs of women on wheelchairs was found. Modification of the environment by removal of the most common barriers and creation of an accessible environment is important for appropriate gynaecological prophylaxis in women using wheelchairs.