Editorials

11 March 2025

An Urgent Need to Improve Accessibility of Preventive Services for People With Disabilities

Authors: Emily Hotez, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4476-4032, Susan Duan, MD, Janet Ma, MD, and Sahana Shankar, MDAuthor, Article, & Disclosure Information

Publication: Annals of Internal Medicine

https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00374

As researchers and clinicians focused on people with disabilities (PWD), we read with interest Buckley and colleagues’ systematic review of evidence on the barriers to and facilitators of preventive services among PWD (1). They identified 74 eligible publications and found that most research focused on breast cancer and cervical cancer. Barriers to and facilitators of receipt of preventive services were multilevel, occurring at the patient, clinician, clinic, and health care system levels. Importantly, the review identified high methodological heterogeneity within the available evidence as well as limited data for most preventive services.

People with disabilities represent 26.8% of U.S. …

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References

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cover image Annals of Internal Medicine

Annals of Internal Medicine

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Published online: 11 March 2025

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© 2025 American College of Physicians.

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Emily Hotez, PhD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4476-4032

David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

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Susan Duan, MD

David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

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Janet Ma, MD

David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

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Sahana Shankar, MD

David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

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Disclosures: Disclosure forms are available with the article online.

Corresponding Author: Emily Hotez, PhD, 911 Broxton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095; e-mail, [email protected].

This article was published at Annals.org on 11 March 2025.

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