Iowa UCEDD Announces Publication of Online Health Provider Training Modules
Videos Teach Current and Future Health Professionals to Accommodate Patients with Disabilities
Staff from the University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD-Iowa UCEDD) are pleased to announce the launch of “Assuring Access to Quality Health Care for Persons with Disabilities,” a series of six online training modules aimed at educating current and future health care professionals on strategies to effectively communicate with and accommodate patients with disabilities. Inclusive Health and Wellness Iowa, a state-based disability and health initiative funded by CDC and jointly administered by CDD and the Iowa Department of Public Health, supported video creation and production. The videos are entitled “Disability Training for Future Health Professionals,” “Disability Training for Practicing Health Care Professionals,” “Disability Training for Dental Providers,” “Providing Family-Centered Care,” “Transitioning to Adult Health Care for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities,” and “Honoring the Diversity of Patients with Disabilities.”
“When we began to conceptualize these modules, we felt it important to relate the first-hand experiences of persons with disabilities, family members and health care professionals,” explains Mike Hoenig, a Program Coordinator at the Center for Disabilities and Development. “Thus, you will not see or hear any professional actors. Instead, you’ll meet individuals with disabilities, family members and clinicians who share best practices through the lens of their own personal experiences.”
Ranging from seven to 38 minutes in length, the videos can be shown as stand-alone training modules, as a series, or as complementary to a panel of individuals with disabilities and/or family members willing to share their personal experiences and suggestions. CDD staff have successfully utilized portions of the videos in combination with a panel presentation to train health sciences students in programs across Iowa. “Students and faculty members alike consistently tell us that content from the modules exposes students to new and beneficial concepts, while the first-hand perspective of individuals with disabilities and their families is an invaluable component which helps students see the provision of health care in an entirely new light,” Hoenig explains.
Inclusive Health and Wellness Iowa staff wish to express their gratitude to the many individuals with disabilities, family members and clinicians who generously gifted us with their time and personal experiences accessing the health care system. We also wish to express our sincere gratitude to our partners at the Midwestern Public Health Training Center, University of Iowa College of Public Health. Their technical expertise, professionalism and collaborative spirit were invaluable assets to successful project completion.
Please visit our Health Provider Training page here. If you have questions or would like further information, get in touch with Michelle Johnston at michelle-johnston@uiowa.edu.
