
Natalie Gil
About
My research project
Improving early cancer diagnosis for adults with learning disabilities.The physical health of people with learning disabilities has been identified as an area of ongoing concern and priority. Research suggests that people with learning disabilities are at equal or increased risk of cancer as the general population, yet experience marked difficulties in navigating health systems and often present with cancers at an advanced stage. Moreover, it is widely accepted that to play an active role in the diagnostic process, people must be appropriately empowered to do so.
However people with learning disabilities experience many barriers in primary care, including fear, carer unawareness of health conditions and risks, lack of communication skills, and a lack of accessible information.Therefore, understanding awareness of cancer-related risk factors and symptoms among people with learning disabilities and their carers has become increasingly pertinent.
This mixed methods project will synthesize existing empirical evidence on cancer-related risk-factor and symptom awareness among adults with learning disabilities, explore differences in diagnostic intervals between adults with learning disabilities and the general population, and consider the role and potential impact of integrative primary care and annual health checks in facilitating early cancer diagnosis.
Supervisors
The physical health of people with learning disabilities has been identified as an area of ongoing concern and priority. Research suggests that people with learning disabilities are at equal or increased risk of cancer as the general population, yet experience marked difficulties in navigating health systems and often present with cancers at an advanced stage. Moreover, it is widely accepted that to play an active role in the diagnostic process, people must be appropriately empowered to do so.
However people with learning disabilities experience many barriers in primary care, including fear, carer unawareness of health conditions and risks, lack of communication skills, and a lack of accessible information.Therefore, understanding awareness of cancer-related risk factors and symptoms among people with learning disabilities and their carers has become increasingly pertinent.
This mixed methods project will synthesize existing empirical evidence on cancer-related risk-factor and symptom awareness among adults with learning disabilities, explore differences in diagnostic intervals between adults with learning disabilities and the general population, and consider the role and potential impact of integrative primary care and annual health checks in facilitating early cancer diagnosis.
My qualifications
Affiliations and memberships
Graduate Member of British Psychological Society
ResearchResearch interests
Health inequalities, cancer, screening, early diagnosis.
Research interests
Health inequalities, cancer, screening, early diagnosis.
Publications
Highlights
Inequity in HPV vaccination, primary HPV screening, and sexual health education for people with learning disabilities, autism and severe mental illness. A discussion.
The Role of Partner Support for Health Behaviours in People Living With and Beyond Cancer. A Qualitative Study.
Patient experience and satisfaction with symptomatic faecal immunochemical testing: an explanatory sequential mixed-methods evaluation