La unidad de diálisis, ¿un entorno accesible?

Abstract

One of the effects of the considerable demographic changes which have come about in recent decades in Spain is the increase in the number of people with disabilities. Faced with this situation, governments have implemented social and healthcare policies with the aim of guaranteeing the right to equality. In this context the right to universal accessibility taken to mean "the condition which must be met by environments, processes, goods, products and services, as well as objects or instruments, tools and devices, for them to be understandable, usable and practicable for everybody in conditions of safety and convenience and in the most autonomous, natural way possible" is especially relevant as a factor in quality of life and integration.
The object of this study is to analyse the situation as regards accessibility of the facilities in the Dialysis Unit of the USP Hospital Santa Teresa, to propose improvements to the environment, to find out healthcare professionals' perception of accessibility in the Unit and to assess the level of knowledge and commitment in relation to the rights of disabled and elderly people.