Agendas & Keynotes

Disabilities, and intellectual disability in particular, put women at risk for receiving substandard perinatal care, which may be traumatic in its consequences. Recently we found that women with intellectual disability are as likely if not more to present with pregnancy, but see these pregnancies end less often in live birth. This talk delves into the needs and reasonable adjustments for this group, and into the knowledge base on treatment for trauma and trauma-informed care. The implications of inclusive design for perinatal care and services are bound to extend beyond this important population and may be used to prevent birth trauma from occurring.

In this presentation I will focus on the rights of service users (‘patients’ rights’) in a national (Belgium, France, the Netherlands as examples) and a European Union context (rights of patients in cross-border care). The right to high quality care and the right to give informed consent, and the development towards a right to shared decision making, will in particular be dealt with.