This article is very interesting and brings up some valid points which I
hadn't thought about.
From ssbbartgroup.com
New Healthcare Tech is Amazing… Unless You Can't Use It - SSB BART Group
by Tammy Cosseboom
stethoscope on top of a laptop keyboard
The healthcare industry is quickly becoming digitized, making data
collection easier and more convenient for patients and doctors.
Unfortunately, many of these amazing, time-saving solutions are not
accessible to people with disabilities, particularly those who are blind
or low vision.
Digital Paperwork for New Patients
Some medical offices are beginning to use kiosks or tablets to allow
patients to sign in and complete required paperwork. This eliminates the
hassle of reading messy handwriting and insurance hang-ups due to human
error (ever had them get your birthday wrong? It’s a major pain!).
However, it creates a privacy problem for blind or low vision patients
when those systems are not accessible.
Under HIPAA, a patient’s health information is private and confidential.
But if a blind individual needs to complete new patient paperwork and
those documents are not accessible, they must divulge their private and
confidential medical information to a third party to complete the forms.
Having accessible digital forms would allow a blind or low vision
individual to independently fill out the form, giving them the same
right to privacy as a sighted patient.
Electronic Health Records
It seems that just yesterday, if a patient wanted a medical record, they
had to phone the doctor’s office, have a staff member pull out their
manila folder, locate the correct sheet of paper, and make a photocopy
or send a fax.
Technology moves quickly and it has made many aspects of healthcare—such
as acquiring copies of medical records—much easier. In the age of
Electronic Health Records, a patient needs only log into their account
to view the relevant data.
Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, patients have the right to view their
health records within a reasonable amount of time after their
appointment. This should include an accessible format that is readable
by a screen reader like JAWS or NVDA.
Online Health Portals
A survey done by the National Partnership revealed that online health
portals have a positive impact on the health of their users and the
trust between the patient and their health provider.
Patients who accessed an online health portal three or more times per
year were shown to have greater trust that their health provider would
protect their privacy (84% compared with 69% stating they trusted their
provider “completely” or “a lot”).[i]
Accessible online portals would allow individuals with disabilities the
same access to their health records, suggestions for improving their
health, and other useful information. This would help to bridge the gap
in the health care system and improve the overall health of people with
disabilities. Given the challenges discussed in last week’s post, this
would be a win-win situation!
Wearable Devices
The wearable devices market is brimming with options for every type of
health monitoring you could want, such as steps, heart rate, blood
pressure, or blood glucose. Sadly, many of the consumer-facing devices
are not designed with accessibility in mind.
Accessibility problems include:
• Information that is solely visual in nature (no touch or audio feedback)
• Device displays so small that they are difficult to read for those
with low vision
• Vibration feedback does not provide enough information to be useful
• Websites and/or apps tied to the device are inaccessible
The biggest issue with wearable devices is that they are often useless
to persons with disabilities unless they can use the app. While a
sighted individual can press a button on their pedometer and read their
current number of steps, a low vision or blind individual must open the
website or app, sync their device with the app, and then have the number
of steps read to them. In the case of devices with apps or websites that
are not accessible, this can be an impossible (or at the least, very
frustrating) undertaking.
The easiest solution to the wearable device problem is to create
accessible websites and applications. These eliminate many roadblocks
that people with disabilities have when it comes to using these products
to better their health.
Talking Prescription Labels
A sighted person would never take home an unlabeled bottle of pills from
the pharmacy. Even if it’s a maintenance medication, sometimes the shape
or color of the pill changes depending on the supplier. It’s reassuring
to have the label to know what you are taking, how much, when, and any
additional information or instructions (e.g., “Take with Food”).
But until recently, we were asking blind and visually impaired
individuals to depend on a sighted third party to read their
prescription labels. (Or worse, they had to open a bottle and hope they
were taking the right pill.)
Talking prescription labels have been a lifesaver for these patients.
There are two main types of talking labels:
• ScripTalk: A microchip is placed in the label which can be scanned by
a small base unit in the patient’s home. The base unit will announce the
drug name, dosage, instructions, warnings, and the information for the
doctor and pharmacy. ScripTalk information is read by a
computer-generated voice.
• TalkingRx & Talking Pill Reminder: These are lower-tech solutions for
accessible prescription labels. A small device allows the pharmacy staff
to record 30 to 60 seconds of information about the prescription. Staff
are trained to play the recording for the patient before they leave the
pharmacy to ensure that it is clear and understandable.
Want to Learn More?
Join us on Tuesday, February 21st at 2:00pm EST for a free webinar:
Accessibility in the Healthcare Industry: Impact, Legal Risk, and the
Path to Compliance
SSB CEO Tim Springer and Chief Accessibility Officer Jonathan Avila will
be joined by attorney David McDowell of Morrison & Foerster LLP to discuss:
• What types of healthcare technologies are being targeted with legal
actions
• The results of structured negotiation in the healthcare industry
• Why accessibility requirements won’t change even if/when the ACA is
repealed
• What it means to be WCAG 2.0 compliant (in non-techy speak)
• And more!
Read More or Register for the Webinar Today!
[i] National Partnership for Women & Families, Engaging Patients and
Families, pp. 39-40.
--
David Goldfield,
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
You are invited to visit the moderator's Web site at WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
for additional resources and information about assistive technology training
services.
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