Maizie Lovatt

(In)competent Care: Alleviating Clinical Communicative Tensions for Patients with Disabilities

Communication in healthcare can be condensed into one powerful message: it is the pathway to patient-centered medicine and competent care. By using inclusive research methods, I aim to investigate the negative health implications for patients who cannot express themselves or communicate in ways understood by medical professionals. I will be drawing from sources that highlight the struggles of patients with complex care needs who have been diagnosed with Communication Disabilities—this involves hearing, vision, acquired physical or cognitive impairment, and physical or cognitive developmental disabilities. With each of these communication disabilities, many sources have highlighted patients' poor experiences in clinical contexts due to communication tensions between patient and provider. The wide range of disabilities that affect communication presents the necessity of finding ways to resolve this problem through inclusive design.