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A recent analysis of data from a cross-sectional household survey indicates that individuals with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to report negative experiences with their health care providers. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, highlights concerns regarding “cultural responsiveness”—the manner in which health care providers treat and engage patients with disabilities in their care.
The findings build on prior evidence of physicians’ biases toward people with disabilities and emphasize the need for further research into how negative health care experiences affect health outcomes for these patients.
Study Overview
Dr. Mihir Kakara and a team of researchers from the Penn Medicine Center for Health Equity Advancement examined data from 22,864 adults who participated in the 2017 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The study compared perceptions of culturally responsive care between individuals with and without disabilities and analyzed responses based on disability type.
Survey participants had visited a health care provider in the prior year and were asked about their experiences regarding their provider’s cultural competence. The study focused on three key aspects of patient-provider interactions: whether health care providers treated them with respect, solicited their opinions and beliefs, and provided easily understandable information.
The researchers categorized responses based on a 4-point Likert scale, grouping “always/most of the time” as positive and “some/none of the time” as negative. Disability status was determined by whether a participant had a limitation in any activity.
Key Findings
The study found that people with disabilities often reported not receiving culturally responsive care. Those with vision, hearing, or cognitive disabilities were particularly likely to experience difficulty receiving easily understood information from providers.
Additionally, people with nearly all types of disabilities reported feeling disrespected by their health care providers. Individuals with psychological, vision, and hearing disabilities were less likely to perceive receiving culturally responsive care across all three measures of respect, opinion solicitation, and clarity of information.
The study’s authors argue that these findings highlight the need to expand the definition of culturally responsive care to include disabilities that may not be immediately visible.
Call for Improved Health Care Practices
This research underscores the importance of increasing awareness and training for health care providers to better accommodate and respect patients with disabilities. By fostering more inclusive practices, the medical community can work toward reducing disparities and improving health outcomes for people with disabilities.
More Information
For further details, refer to the study: Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Care Among People With Disabilities, Annals of Internal Medicine (2025). DOI: 10.7326/ANNALS-24-01964.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The findings presented are based on the referenced study and should be interpreted in the context of broader health care research.
