Clinician-reported barriers to providing perinatal care to women with intellectual and developmental disabilities

ABSTRACT

Background

Research suggests that women with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Further, they report unmet perinatal care needs. This qualitative study examined clinician perspectives on barriers to providing perinatal care to women with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Method

We conducted semi-structured interviews and one focus group with US obstetric care clinicians (n = 17). We used a content analysis approach to code data and analyse them for larger themes and relationships.

Results

the majority of participants were white, non-Hispanic, and female. Participants reported barriers providing care to pregnant women with intellectual and developmental disabilities across individual (e.g., communication challenges), practice (e.g., identification of disability status), and system levels (e.g., lack of clinician training).

Conclusions

clinician training and evidence-based guidelines for perinatal care of women with intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as services and supports during pregnancy are needed.

KEYWORDS:

• Perinatal care
• obstetrics
• pregnancy
• intellectual disability

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the study participants, without whom this work would not have been possible. This manuscript was presented at the 2021 6th IASSIDD Europe Congress.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. [grant number R01HD082105]. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.