Doctors call out ableism in cancer care: ‘The biggest accommodation is attitude’
Doctors' assumptions about patients with disabilities can undermine cancer care before it even starts.
People with disabilities often spend a lot of time navigating bias and educating others about their condition. When it comes to cancer, assumptions made by their doctors can undermine their care even before it starts.
The potential for pitfalls is vast. Clinicians might assume a woman who uses a wheelchair isn’t sexually active so doesn’t need to be tested for HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer. They might order a mammogram to screen for breast cancer without considering the fact that the test requires someone who uses a wheelchair to stand. Imaging scans may be unworkable for someone unable to hold their limbs still because of cerebral palsy.
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