Learning-disabled people's experience of general hospitals.
As more people with learning disability move from long-stay hospitals into the community, contact with general hospital services will increase. Yet, how people with learning disability experience general hospital settings has remained a largely unresearched area. Despite the Department of Health's (DoH's) 1992 guidelines regarding learning-disabled people's access to hospitals, research reveals several areas where the needs of people with learning disability have not been considered. This small-scale study sought to hear from learning-disabled people themselves about their hospital experiences. Thirteen interviews were conducted over 3 months. The interviews were then transcribed and, using grounded theory, a series of key concepts developed. Findings highlighted that, particularly in the areas of 'fears about treatment', 'communication', 'general nursing', 'consent to treatment' and 'doctors', learning-disabled people had a lot to say, much of which was critical of service provision.
University of Surrey, Guildford.
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Hart
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires