[Evidence summary:] What is the impact of COVID-19 on people with disability? [v1.0]
| dc.contributor.author | National Health Library & Knowledge Service (NHLKS) | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-05-11T12:00:39Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-05-11T12:00:39Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020-05-12 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10147/631885 | |
| dc.description | The WHO1, UN5 and EU Disability Forum4 document the impact of COVID-19 on people with disability. Major considerations include: Difficulty with basic hygiene: eg hand washing. Limitations of the physical environment. Challenges in implementing physical distancing due to the need for personal care. Higher clinical risks due to co-existing health conditions. Disruption to supports and services due to health protection measures. Communication difficulties: eg lip-reading or use of sign language when wearing face masks. Access to information in a variety of formats. Financial difficulties. Social stigma and isolation. HSE guidance on COVID-19 in Nurse Led Residential Care services for people with Disabilities2 includes infection control practices, signs and symptoms, clinical investigations and information on the prevention of transmission. An NHS clinical guideline for staff supporting patients with a learning disability or autism3 includes statistics on increased morbidity and mortality and prevalence of co-existing conditions. McCarron, reports on risks of COVID-19 for people with intellectual disability 50, 51. Inclusion Ireland7 describes impacts and reasons for increased risk, including co-morbidities, lower literacy levels, and high reliance on others for support and care. A BMJ letter53 notes a rise in requests to psychiatrists for psychotropic medication. In a blog post, Hatton54 cites evidence that people with learning disability are more likely to have another health condition with a greater risk of a severe reaction to COVID-19. Sullivan66 also reports that intellectual disability and other health conditions increase the risk of developing a more severe infection. The Centre for Research Excellence in Disability and Health Australia6 policy on COVID-19 includes concerns about accessibility of testing for people with intellectual disability and urges further support for clinicians to provide telehealth solutions. The literature demonstrates widespread negative impacts of COVID-19 on communication for people with disability. Fei and Hu10 speak about the outbreak in China and note that the Law on Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases did not include a section on disability. The authors include experiences of people with disability. People with Disability Australia11, a group of ten disability organisations, published a joint response to the COVID-19 outbreak. A number of writers speak about COVID-19 concerns in the D/deaf and hearing impaired community including: Use of sign language in official health communication. Availability of sign language interpreters at testing centres. Use of clear signs and pictures or images. PPE and face masks creating difficulties with lip-reading, acoustic transmission and the inability to see facial expressions when using sign language. Use of transparent face masks has been widely discussed 8,9,15, 57, 73. The Critical Disabilities Studies Network Sweden13points to limited access to sign language interpreters during official government briefings, and the Swedish DeafBlind association notes a lack of guidelines for those who use tactile communication in light of policies on physical distancing. Challenges in hospital setting are addressed under CLINICAL ISSUES below. Stroke, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injuries are highlighted. Under ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, difficulties encountered by people with sensory and mobility disabilities are of special concern. Lakhani64 uses spatial analysis including key demographics to identify gaps in service for vulnerable groups, while Pineda76 suggests that lessons learned from the pandemic should be used to develop a more universally user-friendly urban landscape. Older people are particularly vulnerable, with the burden of disability highest in this specific demographic69, 70, as reflected also in McCarron’s TCD/Tilda reports50,51. Charitable and voluntary organisations are a mainstay in delivering advocacy and supports for people with disabilities, with gaps being filled by freelance volunteers; however, their resources are coming under increasing pressure77. | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Health Service Executive | en_US |
| dc.subject | CORONAVIRUS | en_US |
| dc.subject | COVID-19 | en_US |
| dc.subject | PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES | en_US |
| dc.title | [Evidence summary:] What is the impact of COVID-19 on people with disability? [v1.0] | en_US |
| dc.type | Other | en_US |
| refterms.dateFOA | 2022-05-11T12:00:40Z |
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HSE Library Summaries of Evidence
Evidence summaries and reviews on the management and treatment of Novel Coronavirus Covid-19 and other clinical topics