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Women with intellectual disability do not receive cervical and breast cancer screening at the same number as women without disabilities. Numerous barriers to receipt of screening have been reported by individuals with intellectual disability, paid caregivers, nurses, and other medical professionals. This study utilized semi-structured qualitative interviews to assess barriers to care from the perspective of female familial caregivers (n = 32). Caregivers reported a number of barriers to care including not knowing or not believing the exam was needed for their family member and discomfort during exams. Caregivers also described enablers to screening. The most common response to what enabled the woman with an intellectual disability to receive the exam was preparation prior to the exam. A significant portion of the sample of family caregivers lacked knowledge about the need for cervical and breast cancer screening by women with intellectual disability. Policy recommendations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women with developmental disabilities are significantly less likely than women without disabilities to receive cervical and breast cancer screening according to clinical guidelines. The reasons for this gap are not understood. The present study examined the extent of women's knowledge about cervical and breast cancer screening, with the intention of informing the development and testing of interventions to increase cervical and breast cancer screening rates for these women. In a sample of 202 community-dwelling women with developmental disabilities, most women had little knowledge of cervical and breast cancer screening. Women who were living at home with family caregivers had the most limited understanding of cervical and breast cancer screening. Policy and practice implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the health care received by women with disabilities, who comprise a substantial subset of the population. This article describes the health care of a national sample of low-income female Medicaid recipients. Despite having similar potential for care (health insurance, usual source of care, and having a physician as a usual source of care) as compared to nondisabled women, women with disabilities had substantially worse rates of receiving medical care and medication when they were needed and of cervical cancer screenings. Women with disabilities were also much less likely to be satisfied with their care than were nondisabled women. These results support calls to mandate quality-based reimbursement incentives within Medicaid, specifically for women with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]