The DocsWithDisabilities initiative, which started as a social media campaign in 2018 and then a podcast highlighting stories of disabled health care workers, will now include research groups, mentorship opportunities, policy recommendations and training for medical professionals on how to better include people with disabilities.ĭr. ‘When providers are unwell, patients are unwell’ That can help clinicians strive to do their best work, she says, but it also “reduces our mental flexibility towards understanding that many people, inclusive of people with disabilities, can be excellent doctors when provided the right environment and the right accommodations in order to be successful.” Cheri Blauwet, a sports medicine physician at Mass General Brigham and a former Paralympic wheelchair racer who has appeared on Meeks’ podcast highlighting doctors with disabilities. “We have this culture of perfectionism in our field,” says Dr. People involved with the initiative will conduct research about medical professionals with disabilities, work on curricula that could help medical students learn more about caring for disabled patients, and create policy recommendations on everything from physician licensure exam questions to how schools and hospitals handle training during COVID-19 surges and what accommodations they can provide to those with Long COVID. The initiative aims to change the culture, policies and practices of the medical field in ways that will increase the number of doctors with disabilities across the country. That’s part of why Meeks and a growing movement of doctors, medical students, and other health care workers are trying to transform their profession to make it more inclusive of both doctors and patients with disabilities through a new group called DocsWithDisabilities launched on July 27. employed population-have a reduced ability to work because of Long COVID. Katie Bach, the economist behind that estimate, recently told Congress that it’s likely about 4 million people-or 2.4% of the U.S. These ongoing health issues were likely keeping 1.6 million Americans out of the workforce earlier this year, according to an estimate from Brookings in January, and that has almost certainly increased. The federal government is preparing to release two reports on Long COVID in August. While symptoms vary widely, Long COVID can cause health problems including brain fog, fatigue, shortness of breath, and headaches that significantly affect people’s ability to function on a daily basis. One in five American adults who has been infected with COVID-19 has some lingering symptoms that can be considered Long COVID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found this spring. ![]() An increasing number of people have Long Covid and need accommodations at work, and in the health care workforce, their ability to stay in their profession will be critical to helping patients also suffering from the little-understood condition. As the third year of the pandemic continues, doctors with disabilities are pushing the medical field to improve its treatment of disabled health professionals.
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