Change Is Slow: Acquisition of Disability-Accessible Medical Diagnostic Equipment in Primary Care Offices over Time.

Introduction: The lack of disability-accessible medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) in primary care impedes the receipt of quality medical care by people with mobility impairments. Cross-sectional surveys and observational studies have found <40% of medical offices have disability-accessible examination tables or weight scales. Although government agencies and advocates recommend primary care acquisition of the accessible MDE, the rate of acquisition is unknown.

Accessible medical diagnostic equipment in primary care: Assessing its geographic distribution for disability equity.

Background: Height adjustable examination tables, accessible weight scales, and lifts for transferring individuals on/off examination equipment enable delivery of equitable health care to persons with mobility impairment. Because most Medicaid-covered patients must utilize a managed care network, network providers with accessible medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) at proximate locations for travel time and distance are necessary. Network density and distribution of accessible MDE has not been studied.

Can disability accommodation needs stored in electronic health records help providers prepare for patient visits? A qualitative study.

Background: Embedding patient accommodation need in the electronic health record (EHR) has been proposed as one means to improve health care delivery to patients with disabilities. Accommodation need is not a standard field in commercial EHR software. However, some medical practices ask about accommodation need and store it in the EHR.

The Impact of Nurse Delegation Regulations on the Provision of Home Care Services: A Four-State Case Study.

The objective of this study was to explore how home care workers and the agencies that employ them interact with their state's nurse practice act in the provision of care. Using a qualitative case study approach, we selected four states with varying levels of restrictiveness in their nurse delegation regulations. We conducted interviews ( = 45) with state leaders, agency leaders, and home care workers to learn how these policies affect the home care workforce's ability to perform care tasks for their clients in order to allow clients to remain in their own homes.

Presence of Accessible Equipment and Interior Elements in Primary Care Offices.

To describe the disability accessibility level of primary care office interiors and the presence of accessible examination equipment. Data from on-site audits of 3993 primary care offices in California for 2013-2016 are descriptively analyzed. Architectural access is assessed using an instrument based on ADA Accessibility guidelines (ADAAG), along with noting accessibility of examination equipment.

Physical accessibility in primary health care settings: results from California on-site reviews.

Background: People with disabilities report physical barriers in doctors' offices that affect the quality of care. Whether most or few doctors' offices are accessible is not known. We address this gap with data on 2389 primary care provider facilities.

Achieving accessible health care for people with disabilities: why the ADA is only part of the solution.

People with various disabilities encounter numerous physical and programmatic barriers to receiving health care of equal quality and effectiveness as that received by people without disabilities. Litigation and settlement negotiations under such federal laws as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 have resulted in the removal of access barriers in specific instances, but have not yet resulted in the kind of systemic change needed in the health care delivery system. This article analyses some of the factors that make accessible health care so difficult to achieve.