Next Steps
The individuals with disabilities whose substantive and well-considered input formed the basis of these findings have clearly indicated a number of essential functions and features of future personal health records systems that, once implemented, would not only serve their needs but those of the larger population of healthcare consumers. Combined with the Project's conclusions that people with disabilities can be both sophisticated and high-volume consumers of health care, and the September 2012 Revisions to the Permanent Certification Program for Health Information Technology[1] which require accessibility according to the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, Level A, it is now incumbent upon the Federal government to enforce these rules and for HIT developers to take into account these clearly stated needs and preferences. The 22 user requirements uncovered in our research with consumers provide a good basis for conceptual development of future PHRs.
This Project's next deliverable, a prototype PHR which demonstrates some of the requirements identified in this report, and which showcases accessible and usable functionality, will serve as a pointer to successful PHR design and development that serves all users and which aligns with public policy goals for health information technology.
With this report and the accompanying prototype, progress toward these goals should be rapid, with clear research-derived guidelines and standards for accessibility and usability now readily available.
[1] Federal Register, September 4, 2012, page 54163-54292. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-09-04/pdf/2012-20982.pdf
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