Perceptions and attitudes of health professionals towards people with physical disabilities in hospitals in the Western Cape

Introduction: The attitude of health professionals has a direct influence on quality of care. The greatest problem that persons with physical disabilities experience at hospitals is that the health professionals attending to them exhibit inappropriate attitudes and behaviors. Hence, the aim is to determine the perceptions and attitudes of health professionals towards persons with disabilities at the five selected hospitals in the Western Cape. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross sectional study that used quantitative methods to collect data using a self- administered, validated questionnaire. The sample consisted of 107 conveniently selected health professionals from five hospitals in the Western Cape. Results: Seventy-five percent of health professionals demonstrated positive perceptions and attitudes towards persons with disabilities in hospitals. Conclusion: Health professionals have positive perceptions and attitudes towards persons with disabilities who were attending hospital.