HEALTHCARE AND ACCESSIBILITY **ongoing project
Online GP services are not accessible or inclusive to all patients. How can we fix this?
xxxx
6 week team project for Canonical.
GP surgery website being assessed : https://www.torringtonparkgrouppractice.nhs.uk/health-information/
What's the problem?
Most GP surgeries enable patients to book online using an online form, but each practice uses a different booking system and layout. Not all systems are easily understandable or usable by all patients, despite these being primary care facilities and the first touch point for many patients.
Who are the users?
Patients who can vary in age, gender, mental or physical ability (temporary or permanent), socio-economic status , ethnicity and language barriers.
Why should we care?
These primary care services are the first point of contact for all patients wishing to see their GP or nurse. Without being able to access this service, many people may suffer with worsening medical issues, pain or even death.
Additionally, people may go to A&E services instead of seeing their GP, which will delay these emergency services for those who desperately need it and increase the cost and demand on an already under funded service.
It is essential that these services are easy and accessible to all as the implications are too significant to ignore.
Accessibility assessment results?
Using the WCAG-EM report tool and the Axe DevTools plug in, I assessed the practice website against the WCAG 2.2 criteria.
How can we improve this?
Suggestions:
- Add alt text to all images
- Ensure <tags> are appropriately coded in layers i.e. <ul> must contain <li>
- Contrast must meet 4.5:1 ratio for all icons, buttons and text
- All text should be resizable
- Remove images of text - add as text only
- Ensure all fields contain a name in the <label>
- Add a consistently placed help button/link on each page
Where's the proof the solution worked?
Accessing the criteria again manually using the WCAG 2.2 guidelines showed that the issues had been resolved.
Areas to improve?
Not all criteria are easily understandable and so some were not assessed.
With further learning and knowledge of accessibility standards, I hope to be able to assess the next service more rigorously.
The full accessibility assessment
How did i carry out this assessment?
xxxx
Re-designed UI based on errors
Perceivable errors
Changes made…
Operable errors
Changes made…
Understandable errors
Changes made…
Robust errors
Changes made…
mirunaalini.alagarajah@gmail.com
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