UCLID | Innovative Education




Every Contact Counts Overview As more individuals with disabilities survive and thrive, they require high quality health care services from professionals and access to this care at facilities whose behavior, attitudes, and values demonstrate respect, equality, and willingness to collaborate on health care decisions. As an industry, our current efforts rarely focus on attitudes and values nor do we invite participation of the recipients of care into the educational efforts of health care staff. This project, Every Contact Counts, developed by the UCLID Center of the University of Pittsburgh and the Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania aims to increase and improve awareness and education about living with disabilities. Funding, generously provided by the FISA Foundation, has allowed us to accomplish the following objectives: To organize a problem-based learning session introducing the attitudinal and physical barriers to health care experienced by people with disabilities To provide trainer development to hospital staff to facilitate this program thus providing continuing awareness and education at the facility. To aid in implementing changes put forth by those staff that participated in an Every Contact Counts learning session. This is achieved through “follow-up” calls and meetings with the facility. Vision Knowledgeable and technically skilled health care facilities, professionals and staff will demonstrate the values of humanism, egalitarianism, and community inclusion in their services for individuals with disabilities. Access to high quality health care will improve through the implementation of changes suggested by participants in this program and will spread through the community as awareness improves and changes are made. Background and Needs More people with disabilities are living longer due to the advances in medicine and technology. More people with developmental disabilities are surviving into adulthood and becoming active and meaningful contributors to societyIndividuals with disabilities use health care services at least twice as frequently as individuals with no apparent disabilities because of their medical, rehabilitative, and social needs. Staff at health care facilities aren’t trained in the special and varied needs of people with disabilities. In order to achieve our vision of meeting special needs in health services, we believe thatthe education of medical organizations, their attending staff, and eventually, health care professionals, need an infusion of several basic elements. Recognition that individuals with physical, cognitive, and mental health disabilities lead rich and productive lives. Awareness in medical facilities and society that many routine, day-to-day issues exist as barriers to people with disabilities. For example, there is a shocking lack of preventive care for women with disabilities because gynecology tables, mammogram machines, and other essential equipment does not accommodate them. Critical evaluations of the impact of policies on the lives and health care of individuals with disabilities and willingness to advocate for better policies within the represented departments and facilities. Purpose and Goals This education project seeks to provide health care facilities and the general public with enhanced knowledge about people with disabilities, their contributions, their needs, and the services and policies that allow them to function maximally in their communities. It also seeks to assure that staff will have the skills and resources to address the needs of people with disabilities. Going beyond conventional approaches, the project will instill values of humanism, understanding, community inclusion and tolerance into the efforts of the medical facility and the community in order to spread the philosophy of egalitarianism. We believe that with these ingredients, facilities and organizations will be able to apply consistently and longitudinally the knowledge, skills, and values in their service delivery and programs. Objectives The curriculum will demonstrate that individuals with physical, cognitive or mental health disabilities lead highly productive and meaningful lives. Problem-based learning will emphasize participatory decision-making and person- and family-centered care. To heighten awareness at the administrative level of regional health care facilities that small change in the way people with disabilities are treated will produce large improvements in community relations. To encourage and model collaboration among the different departments in area hospitals and for these departments to take an active roll in policy development and implementation. To host dialogues that bring together, at regional hospitals, individuals with disabilities and hospital staff to evaluate the impact of accessibility policies. Methods A 2 hour problem-based learning session is attended by volunteers from the staff. The goal is to have as many departments represented as possible so that information can be effectively disseminated throughout the facility. Trainer Education: A “Train the Trainer” program has been developed and given to those individuals chosen to continue in educating any staff unable to attend the initial session. A follow-up program with proposed changes and the contact information for those staff members who have taken the responsibility to see them implemented. Conclusion We are building on the idea that “every contact does, indeed, count” and our Values-based approach to improving awareness of staff can lead to policies that uniquely impact the social and medical arenas in which they live and work. The values that we emphasize, humanism, understanding, community inclusion and tolerance, will hopefully empower staff to bring these new values to society as well as the work place, and so influencing societal views of people with disabilities. In future, we hope that the modal can be used throughout the health care industry so that facilities can better serve their clients who live with disabilities and thereby, better serving society.