Identifying Components of Autism Friendly Health Care: An Exploratory Study Using a Modified Delphi Method.

Researchers asked healthcare professionals and autism community members what makes healthcare 'autism-friendly.' Through three rounds of surveys, they identified the most important features. The top priorities were: making changes to the healthcare environment and how services run (like giving longer appointments), and training staff to better understand and support autistic patients. These findings can help healthcare providers improve their services for autistic people.

This exploratory study used a modified 3-round Delphi method to identify key components of autism-friendly healthcare practice. Seventy-eight professionals and patients/families participated in the first round, with 51 completing round two and 38 completing the final ranking round. The study compiled and evaluated statements about autism-friendly practices through structured consensus-building. Results highlighted two main priority areas: environmental and operational modifications (such as longer appointment times) and comprehensive staff training to better support autistic patients.

The findings reflect previously identified barriers in autism healthcare and provide guidance for healthcare organizations developing autism-friendly services.

Healthcare organizations can use these findings to prioritize autism-friendly service development, focusing on environmental modifications and staff training. The consensus-based approach provides evidence for resource allocation decisions and service planning in autism healthcare delivery.

Single urban academic hospital setting limits generalizability. Participants were 'mainly professionals' with unclear representation of autistic individuals and families. Sample size decreased across rounds (78 to 51 to 38). No specific details provided about validation of identified components or implementation feasibility.

Autistic individuals report lower health care satisfaction. However, there is currently no set of "best practice" standards about caring for autistic individuals. In this exploratory study, we aim to identify features of Autism Friendly practice according to a sample consisting of mainly professionals whose interests include autism using a modified 3-round Delphi-a method that identifies a consensus view across subject participants. Statements about components of an Autism Friendly health care practice were compiled in consultation with the steering committee of an Autism Friendly Initiative at a single, urban academic safety-net hospital.

Participants were recruited through our national network of professionals and patients/families mailing list. Examples of invited professionals included researchers, health care workers, and educators. In the first 2 rounds, we distributed electronic surveys to participants, who scored statements from 1 to 9 regarding importance. In round 2, statements that were scored low by all stakeholder groups were eliminated.

Seventy-eight participants responded to the first-round survey, and 51 participants responded to the second-round survey. In the third round, 38 participants ranked 16 statements from most to least important. Statements are summarized and presented in the Results section. Topics that emerged from highly ranked statements include environmental/operational modifications (e.g., longer appointment times) and staff training to support autistic patients.

Highly ranked statements represented previously reported barriers, including the need for staff training and inclusive engagement with the autistic community. The findings can help inform health care organizations to determine priorities when building an Autism Friendly health care practice.