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Research Article: The Healthcare Experience of Autistic Patients in Orthopaedic Surgery and Closely Related Fields: A Scoping Review

Date Published: 2023-05-22

Abstract:
Orthopaedic and related care has the potential to present unique obstacles for patients with a range of autism manifestations. In this review, we aim to describe and analyze the literature on autistic patients’ experience within orthopaedics and closely related fields. This literature search utilized the PubMed, Embase, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases. Three major concepts were built into the search terms: (1) patients on the autism spectrum; (2) patient experience; and (3) movement sciences, including orthopaedics, physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), occupational therapy (OT), and physical therapy (PT). Our search yielded 35 topical publications, with the major topic areas addressed as follows: (1) clinical and perioperative management, (2) therapy interventions, (3) participation in exercise and social play, (4) sensory management and accommodations, (5) caregiver/parent training and involvement in care, (6) healthcare needs and barriers to care, and (7) utilization of technology. In the current literature, there are no studies that attempt to directly assess autistic patient experience with care practices and clinical environments in orthopaedics. Rigorous, direct examination of the experience of autistic patients within clinical orthopaedic settings is urgently needed to address this gap.

Introduction:
Autistic patients face considerable challenges when navigating the healthcare system. There are several cardinal features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—namely, difficulty with social communication and reciprocal social interaction, restricted or repetitive behaviors and/or interests, and atypical sensitivity to stimuli (Table 1) [1,2]. Management of such features is often complicated in the medical setting by the rigidity of a largely volume-based economic model and numerous yet unavoidable discomforts of a…

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