Open AccessRecognising autism in healthcare
Author(s) -
Mary Doherty,
Clair Haydon,
Ian A. Davidson
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
british journal of hospital medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.196
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1759-7390
pISSN - 1750-8460
DOI - 10.12968/hmed.2021.0313
Subject(s) - autism , medicine , health care , curriculum , health professionals , mental health , medical education , nursing , psychiatry , psychology , pedagogy , economics , economic growth
Recognition of autism and the associated co-occurring physical and mental health issues has increased over recent years. However, undergraduate and postgraduate curricula take time to adapt and to impact on what is delivered in training so healthcare professionals, including doctors, report little training on these topics. Doctors need to know when someone might be autistic in order to respond to them appropriately. This article sets out the reasons why recognition of autism is important and the positive impacts of recognising and understanding autism on health outcomes, service delivery and patient experience. The negative consequences of not recognising autism or understanding the impact of autistic traits on the person are also explored. A companion article then covers how practice can be made more appropriate for autistic people to improve outcomes.