The accessibility of general practice websites assessed by patients: a cross-sectional study

This study aims to gather patients' perceptions regarding the accessibility of GP (general practitioner) practice websites in Flanders.

This is a quantitative cross-section with perceived accessibility as dependent variable and age, readability, clarity, currentness, interactivity and cultural sensitivity as predicting variables. A patient questionnaire was designed for data collection. The study ran from August 2023 until February 2024.

Of the 643 individuals who completed the study, 486 were included for data analysis. 83% (n = 417) found the website accessible; 96.4% (n = 417) found the site readable and 91.1% (380) well-organized. Only 40.3% (n = 417) found the site adapted to a multicultural society. Of those who rated the practice website as insufficiently accessible, there was a significantly larger proportion who found the site insufficiently adapted to a multicultural society (p = 0.000293), insufficiently well-organized (p = < 0.00001;) or insufficiently readable (p = 0.00016).

Most respondents found the website accessible, readable and well-organized. There are notable shortcomings in cultural sensitivity, currentness and interactivity. Areas for improvement include incorporating symbols, language options, displaying update date and the use of paragraphs, bold or colored words. In a study conducted in Flanders, most patients found healthcare websites easy to access, read, and navigate. However, the study highlighted significant gaps in cultural inclusivity, with only 40% of patients feeling the websites catered to a multicultural audience. Additionally, the websites lacked up-to-date content and interactive features. The study recommends improving user experience by incorporating multilingual options, clearly displaying update dates, and using visually distinct text elements such as symbols and colored words.