Don ’t Wait for A Lawsuit to Address Accessibility

The following is a guest article by Bob Farrell, VP, Solution Delivery & CX Practice at Applause When it comes to healthcare, inclusivity is not a nice to have, but rather an absolute necessity. In healthcare, many patients have short- or long-term needs for accessible experiences. A lack of accessible experiences exposes companies to liability, and more importantly, their customers to faulty care. Failing to comply with accessibility standards puts patients at risk and opens the door to very expensive litigation. Meanwhile, conformance to standards should merely be a first step. Full digital accessibility has many benefits beyond risk mitigation. Healthcare companies overlooking digital accessibility in product design and development miss the opportunity to reach a wider audience, including People with Disabilities (PwD). For example, voice functionality that serves patients with limited mobility may also prove valuable for a user with their hands full or a temporary condition, like a broken arm or hand. Or, closed captioning may be helpful for viewers trying to interact with a video in loud conditions as well as for the hearing-impaired. Voice-enabled devices will become more commonplace in hospitals as well. Whether it’s a patient who cannot use their hands to signal for a nurse to change the television channel, or a surgeon who wants to adjust the music volume in the operating room, voice-enabled devices and apps create new possibilities across the healthcare ecosys...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Ambulatory Communication and Patient Experience Health IT Company Healthcare IT Hospital - Health System LTPAC Regulations Accessibility Ada Applause Bob Farrell Healthcare Accessibility Inclusive Healthcare People with Disabilit Source Type: blogs