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American Journal of Medical Quality, Vol. 19, No. 5, 193-200 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/106286060401900503

Improving Health Care Experiences of Persons Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision: Suggestions From Focus Groups

Bonnie L. O'Day, PhD

Cherry Engineering Support Services Inc, McLean, Va

Mary Killeen, MA

Cherry Engineering Support Services Inc, McLean, Va

Lisa I. Iezzoni, MD, MSc

Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Charles A. Dana Research Institute, and the Harvard-Thorndike Laboratory, Boston, Mass, liezzoni{at}bidmc.harvard.edu

Persons who are blind or have low vision face special challenges in obtaining care that is safe, effective, timely, and patient centered. To explore perceptions of care and recommendations for improvements, we conducted 8 interviews with experts and 2 focus groups with 19 persons, all of whom are blind or have low vision. Interviewees perceived that they confront special barriers to care because of being blind or having low vision. Barriers fell into 4 broad categories: basic respect, including concerns about physicians thinking they cannot participate fully in their own care; communication barriers, including difficulties interacting with physicians and office staff; physical access barriers, including difficulties getting to and around physicians' offices; and information barriers, including receiving written materials in inaccessible formats (eg, not in Braille, large print, or audiotape). Using common courtesy and individualized communication techniques, physicians and office staff could improve health care experiences of blind and low-vision patients.

Key Words: Barriers to health care • blind • low vision • primary care


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