One size does not fit all: Pharmacists’ perspectives on disparities in quality care provided to adult patients on the Autism Spectrum Disorder

Ghoneim, Ola A.; Eassa, Heba A.; Lavoura, Luis Manuel; Bianculli, Noelle; Mann, Charlotte

doi:10.21608/aijpms.2022.115899.1105

One size does not fit all: Pharmacists’ perspectives on disparities in quality care provided to adult patients on the Autism Spectrum Disorder

Document Type : Original research articles

Authors

¹ Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, Western New England University, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Springfield, MA 01119, US.

² Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy & Physician Assistant Studies (SOPPAS), University of Saint Joseph (USJ), Hartford, CT 06103, USA

³ Department of Counselling and Applied Behavioral Studies, School of Interdisciplinary Health and Sciences, University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford, CT06117, USA

10.21608/aijpms.2022.115899.1105

Abstract

The aim of this work is to improve the overall healthcare experience of patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), this study was conducted to collect the perspectives of healthcare professionals’ (mainly pharmacists) on current healthcare barriers for patients with ASD. The study aims to identify possible interventions to minimize the patient-provider communication gap, that takes in consideration the social skills and language/communication level of patients with ASD. The ultimate goal is improving the healthcare experience for patients on the spectrum and narrow the communication gap between adult patients with ASD and their trusted pharmacists. An online questionnaire was created using Google Forms and results were directly extrapolated into easy-to-read tables, and graphs. Questionnaire was sent to healthcare providers. All participants were kept anonymous, and de-identified. A total of 116 participants completed the online questionnaire. Most participants came from hospitals-inpatient, followed by community pharmacies, and hospitals-outpatient, and span across all years of practice. Responses from female providers were significantly higher. The majority of providers did not receive any additional training, and do not believe they are comfortable communicating and/or prepared to provide quality care to patients with ASD. Providers desire to bridge the gap and explore novel communication tools. Information from this study will be the seed to develop an innovative communication tool for transfer/exchange/retrieval of information between ASD patients and their providers. The communication aid will be piloted in the next phase of this research.

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