Physicians need more training to improve care for autism patients, UNC School of Medicine OBGYN Dr. Lauren Schiff writes in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Lauren Schiff, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist at the UNC School of Medicine and a mother of an autistic son, co-authored a perspective piece in the New England Journal of Medicine about how physicians can better provide medical care for autistic patients presenting with non-autism related concerns.
Autism affects how people communicate and interact with the environment and people around them. New situations, like an annual exam with a new doctor, can be especially daunting for autistic people. Schiff highlights a recent patient experience and her own personal connection with autism to help create a better care experience.
Through speaking with other colleagues in the medical field, Schiff realized that most physicians do not have the necessary skills to effectively engage with autistic patients.
“Physicians are often underprepared to provide routine medical care to autistic patients, and this lack of preparation can have profound effects on care quality and outcomes,” Schiff and colleagues wrote in the NEJM. “Autistic people frequently report feeling dismissed, ignored, infantilized, and traumatized during health care experiences.”
Because autism operates on a spectrum, every autistic patient has specific needs or ways of communicating that are unique to them. Schiff urges other physicians to ask patients what accommodations may be helpful to them during appointments or other medical experiences. She also emphasizes requiring education at all levels of medical training to help budding physicians better understand the neurocognitive processing, support needs, and potential environmental stressors in order to facilitate more equitable health care.
“Clinicians have an obligation to strive for successful outcomes for all patients,” Schiff and colleagues wrote. “Ignoring the needs of autistic people denies them access to excellent care and undermines their health.”
Read more of Schiff’s perspective here.
Other authors include Ashely Hester, PhD, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine, and Teal Benevides, PhD, associate professor in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University.
Media contact: Kendall Daniels Rovinsky, Communications Specialist, UNC Health | UNC School of Medicine