Improving health equity: Evaluation of accessible written medication information for patients with visual impairment

Currently, there are limited options for patients with visual impairment or blindness to obtain accessible written medication information.

The objectives of this study were to determine the availability of accessible medication guides provided by the manufacturer and identify common barriers reported by patients with visual impairment in obtaining accessible written medication information in health care settings.

Prospective, cross-sectional study.

Participants of the survey portion included individuals with visual impairment who were administered an online questionnaire.

Availability of accessible medication guides as verified by 39 manufacturers and accessibility assessed using a checklist based on revised Section 508 guidelines and testing with a screen reader for accessibility. To identify barriers in obtaining written medication information, respondents were recruited by Qualtrics to fill out an anonymous, online 13-question survey from September to October 2022.

All manufacturers did not provide an accessible medication guide or an alternative format. Common errors found by the screen reader were lack of a description for images (alternative text) and headings were not available to help with navigation. As for the survey, a total of 699 participants responded. The median age was 35 years and 49% of respondents were female. A paper copy was the most common format (38%) provided in the pharmacy and barriers identified included lack of Braille or electronic options and personnel not equipped to serve patients with visual impairment.

With the lack of accessible written medication information as a barrier to health equity, pharmacists and manufacturers need to provide alternative formats such as audio, electronic formats, or Braille to patients with visual impairment.