Literature Review on Provision of Appropriate and Accessible ...

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• In research investigating General Practitioners’ educational
needs in intellectual disability health, many GPs reported that
they were inadequately trained in human relations and sexuality
issues <strong>Literature</strong> and these <strong>Review</strong> areas on Provision were also of perceived Appropriate as and being Accessible of a poor
standard. Support (Phillips to People et with al., 2004). an Intellectual [10] Disability who are
Experiencing Crisis Pregnancy
• Research has demonstrated that the practice of ‘proxy’ decisionmaking
[11] was most prevalent in the context of decisions
concerning women’s reproductive health; negative attitudes
towards the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities
had an impact on women’s access to sexual health screening
services (Keywood et al. 1999; Aunos and Feldman, 2002). Proxy
decision-making occurred more frequently with those who lived
in group residential services, thus supporting the contention
by Wehmeyer & Bolding, writing in the US context, that choice
and self-determination are hindered by institutionalised living
environments (2001) or by living with family members.
• Keywood (2003) argues that a further obstacle to people’s
effective involvement in decisions about their care arises from the
negative attitudes of some health and social care professionals
towards people with intellectual disabilities. Keywood bases this
argument on her own research (Keywood, 1999), which found that
attitudinal barriers obstructed access to primary care.
• Canadian researchers found that young and better educated
professionals (e.g. social workers) usually have more liberal
attitudes towards the sexuality of people with intellectual
disabilities than direct-care workers (Murray & Minnes 1994).
10 Survey comprising 252 GPs in Australia.
11 Keywood (1999) uses this term to refer to the kind of decision-making that
involved relatives and paid carers making health care decisions on behalf of the
participants in her study.