Medication management by visually impaired persons in the UAE: Self-Determination practice and law demands

Abstract

Background: People with visual impairment are highly prone to medication errors. Effective policies should support self-determination to provide appropriate means for this party to access medical information. Following the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, The UAE adopted a new policy to support the visually impaired. This study determined the challenges visually impaired individuals face, the likelihood of medication administration errors, and the methods used to cope with those challenges. It also required the relevant parties to provide visually impaired persons with medicinal information consistent with international and national law demands. A survey was administered to 94 visually impaired individuals using an interviewer-guided questionnaire. Also, a random sample of 75 frequently used medications was selected to check if Braille labels and the QR codes were available in the medications' boxes. The research demonstrated that most visually impaired individuals do not receive adequate assistance with medication usage and have little knowledge of managing medications. As a result, there is an expected increase in medication errors or mismanagement in those individuals, despite the current advances in policy development in the UAE regarding visually impaired support. Therefore, developing effective strategies and policies is vital to assist this population when using medications.