July is widely observed as Disability Pride Month in commemoration of July 26, 1990, the day that President George H.W. Bush signed the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act into law.
There is no better time for physicians to deepen their knowledge of how to provide optimal care to patients with disabilities—and earn CME while doing so. The “AMA Caring for People with Disabilities Series” is now available on AMA Ed Hub™, the AMA’s online learning platform, and offers multiple ways for doctors to build their knowledge and skills in this space.
The video series gives physicians and other health professionals practical guidance, real-world strategies, and proven tools to ensure their care meets the unique needs of patients with diverse disabilities. By addressing common barriers in clinical practice, the AMA aims to advance accessible, inclusive medical care and improve health outcomes for all people—including patients with physical, sensory or cognitive disabilities.
“The AMA and physicians everywhere want all patients to receive the best possible care—and that includes patients with disabilities,” said AMA Immediate Past President Bobby Mukkamala, MD. The AMA “video series addresses that challenge directly, and gives physicians and medical students practical tools to better understand their patients’ needs and improve access to care.”
Each module in the “AMA Caring for People with Disabilities Series,” described here in detail, is under 30 minutes and accompanied by searchable transcripts.
Foundational Concepts
- Among other things, this module covers definitions of disability and ableism, patient assessment, identifying diverse patient backgrounds, and establishing principles for accessible communication in medical practice.
Foundations of Clinical Care
- With this module, you will get information and tools for providing high-quality and effective care for people with disabilities, including medical history-taking, effective patient assessment, and principles for accessible communication in medical practice.
Accommodations and Accessibility
- This module covers essential information about accommodations and accessibility in disability care, including legal requirements and identifying and integrating accommodations in medical practice.
Effective Communication
- This module equips learners with skills for effective communication with patients who have communication-related disabilities, providing information about legal requirements and evidence-based strategies and offering practical methods for making written materials accessible to individuals with diverse needs.
Medical Decision-Making
- This module covers core clinical concepts on medical decision-making in disability care, including frameworks for decision-making within patient guardianship transitions and establishing principles for decision-making and proxy options.
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- This educational video explains the definition of intellectual and developmental disabilities, the importance of genetic and diagnostic testing, strategies to support transitions to adulthood, and adaptive care plans tailored to individual patient needs.
The “AMA Caring for People with Disabilities Series” also includes three modules that deliver specialty-specific insights to help physicians better understand the needs of people with disabilities who are cared for by specialists, including:
These modules are geared toward primary care and generalist physicians, who will find valuable information about how dermatologists, urologists and PM&R physicians care for their patients.
The CME modules are enduring material and designated by the AMA for a maximum of 0.25–0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. The modules are part of the AMA Ed Hub, an online learning platform that brings together high-quality CME, maintenance of certification, and educational content from trusted sources, all in one place—with activities relevant to you, automated credit tracking, and reporting for some states and specialty boards. Learn more about AMA CME accreditation.
Also, explore education from the AMA Center for Optimal Health Outcomes, which strengthens and amplifies the AMA’s work to improve health outcomes and communities across the country. Earlier this month, the AMA named Denise Fair Razo, MBA, MPH, as group vice president to lead the center. Fair Razo brings to the AMA more than two decades of executive leadership experience spanning large-scale ambulatory care and healthcare organizations, public health and community partnerships.
