Abstract

Objective: The aim is to investigate the attitudes of healthcare professionals in Istanbul towards people with disabilities within the scope of the "Be Happy in Life" project, which is conducted under the coordination of Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate with the aim of increasing the well-being of the disabled and their families and professionals.

Method: This study is a descriptive study on healthcare professionals working in health institutions in Istanbul affiliated with the Ministry of Health. The questionnaire developed according to the literature, included questions to determine socio-demographic variables and the "Attitude Toward Disabled Persons" (ATDP) scale. This online survey was conducted with 704 healthcare professionals working in health institutions in Istanbul, participating voluntarily.

Results: Healthcare professionals participating in the study are 77.1% women; 61.8% married; the average age is 35.97 ± 8.76 (median 35) years; 77.6% of them have an education level of undergraduate and above; 48.6% are nurses / midwives / health officers; average working time in the profession is 12.93 ± 9.19 (median 11) years. ATDP scale scores are higher in females than males (p = 0.036); higher in singles than in married (p = 0.033). ATDP scale scores were significantly different according to the income level of the participants (p = 0.003); and according to professional groups (p <0.001). The highest average score was for the "social worker / psychologist / physiotherapist" group, while the lowest scale score was for the “Data Entry Operator / Data Preparation and Control Operator” group. In correlation analysis, no significant relationship was found between the age of healthcare workers or the duration of their employment in the profession and ATDP scale scores (r = -0.014; p = 0.703 and r = -0.038; p = 0.319).

Conclusion: In the education curriculum of health professionals at all levels, courses that increase attitudes and awareness towards disabled people should be included. The perception of disability as "disorder" or "abnormality" as "impaired" should be supported by organizing in-service training programs for the disabled at regular intervals in health institutions.