WHO-ITU global standard for accessibility of telehealth services

Overview

Telehealth is a service that has been widely applied in many countries for decades now. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth services has increased substantially in many countries, becoming a basic need for the general population. While telehealth provides the means for an equitable health service provision, in reality many persons with disabilities experience difficulties and challenges accessing and using telehealth services. To address this, the World Health Organization and the International Telecommunication Union 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. The requirements are intended for adoption by Member States as regulations or legislation and should also be voluntarily implemented by health care professionals and manufacturers.