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    Information
    information_group_1
    Type of settings
    On-line
    Category of capacity building activity
    Seminar/Webinar
    PHIRI Activity
    No
    Activity schedule
    Fixed date(s)
    information_group_dates
    Activity local date
    -
    Date on a monthly basis
    information_group_2
    GEO coverage
    Multinational
    Language
    English
    Available in other languages
    No
    Target audience
    Health Professionals;
    Decision-Makers;
    Policy-Makers

    During the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth services has increased substantially in many countries, becoming a basic need for the general population. However, many persons with disabilities experience difficulties and challenges accessing and using telehealth services. For example, very often telehealth platforms are not compatible with devices such as screen readers that facilitate people with vision impairment to access information, or the lack of captioning or volume control in video conferencing impedes persons who are deaf or hard of hearing to interact with health professionals virtually.
    To address this, the World Health Organization and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) developed jointly a global standard for accessibility of telehealth services. This standard provides a list of technical requirements that telehealth platforms must have to ensure accessible telehealth service provision. All requirements are based on the best available evidence, as well as the comprehensive feedback and input collected from civil society and the industry. The requirements are intended for adoption by Member States as regulations or legislation and should also be voluntarily implemented by healthcare professionals and manufacturers.

    Topics
    Health status » Morbidity/disability » Communicable diseases » Covid-19 ;
    Health systems » Health resources and activities » Physical and technical resources » Medical technology
    Free keywords
    Telemedicine
    organization_group
    Leading organizer
    World Health Organisation
    Contact

    WHO Headquarters in Geneva
    (+41 22 791 21 11)

    Updated on 29 September 2022