{"id":19683,"date":"2024-05-28T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T04:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ices.on.ca\/?post_type=news_release&p=19683"},"modified":"2024-05-27T16:14:42","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T20:14:42","slug":"1-in-8-pregnant-people-have-a-disability-but-significant-gaps-exist-in-the-provision-of-accessible-care","status":"publish","type":"news_release","link":"https:\/\/www.ices.on.ca\/fr\/news-releases\/1-in-8-pregnant-people-have-a-disability-but-significant-gaps-exist-in-the-provision-of-accessible-care\/","title":{"rendered":"1 in 8 pregnant people have a disability, but significant gaps exist in the provision of accessible care\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Landmark report provides recommendations to improve care for thousands of Ontario women<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Toronto, ON, May 28, 2024<\/span><\/b> \u2013 People with disabilities account for 13% of all pregnancies in Ontario, but a new report shows that this population was more likely to experience pregnancy complications such as emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and preterm birth.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers from ICES, the University of Toronto Scarborough, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have released <\/span>a landmark report<\/span><\/a> detailing findings from one of the largest studies to date on disability and pregnancy.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Funded by the US National Institutes of Health, the Disability and Pregnancy Study used healthcare data on nearly 150,000 births to people with disabilities and interview data to examine the preconception, pregnancy, labour and birth, and postpartum and newborn health outcomes and health care experiences of people with physical, sensory, developmental and multiple disabilities in Ontario, Canada.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn our in-depth interviews with over sixty people with disabilities, service-providers, and policymakers, we certainly found examples of positive pregnancy care experiences,\u201d says lead author Hilary Brown, <\/span>Adjunct Scientist at ICES and Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Society at the University of Toronto Scarborough. \u201c<\/span>But we also heard just how inaccessible pregnancy care can be for people with disabilities.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pregnancy care experiences<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Interviews with people with disabilities revealed challenges that many face in the pregnancy care system, including barriers to accessibility, fragmented care, poor healthcare provider knowledge about disability, and disrespectful and ableist assumptions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One participant shared: \u201cI met [the doctor] for the first time when I went in to confirm the pregnancy. He was like \u2018What brings you here?\u2019 \u2018Oh, I just found out that I\u2019m pregnant.\u2019 And he looked down at my wheelchair for a second, and he looked at me, and he said, \u2018Are you here to get an abortion?\u2019 And I was absolutely stunned. \u2018No, we\u2019ve been trying for a year and we\u2019re really excited,\u2019 and that was a really weird and terrible experience.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other participants reported difficulties in using equipment such as exam tables, communication challenges, judgment from healthcare providers, and a lack of coordinated care from social services and the health system.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Service-providers and policymakers shared their thoughts on structural barriers to accessible pregnancy care, including a lack of time during appointments to address patients\u2019 needs\u2014often cited as a consequence of Ontario\u2019s fee-for-service remuneration system. Other barriers included insufficient funding for accessible equipment, inadequate disability-related training, and few clinical guidelines to support the delivery of care.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lot of evidence showing that higher rates of mental health concerns and mental health service utilization are seen in disabled people than non-disabled people accessing pregnancy care. Inaccessible care has significant impacts on mental health during pregnancy as well as postpartum,\u201d says Yona Lunsky, report co-lead, Adjunct Scientist at ICES and Scientific Director of the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre at CAMH. \u201cWe learned from our study that the experience can be isolating, frightening, and challenging when supports are not in place.\u00a0 When we think about how to make our pregnancy care as good as possible, we need a mental health lens to fully support people.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Key Data Findings:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n