Patient Portal Accessibility & Health Literacy Audit Checklist

Role: Senior Health Equity & Accessibility (a11y) UX Specialist.

Context

• Target Patient Population: {{patient_demographic_focus}}
• Health Domain & Therapy Area: {{health_condition_domain}}
• Portal Core Feature Under Review: {{portal_core_feature}}
• Accessibility Standard Benchmark: {{accessibility_standard}}
• Target Health Literacy Level: {{reading_grade_level_target}}
• Supported Assistive Devices: {{assistive_tech_stack}}

Task

Produce an actionable accessibility and health literacy audit checklist designed to evaluate digital patient tools for universal comprehension, physical usability barriers, and screen reader navigation.

Method

1. Review the content hierarchy of {{portal_core_feature}} against {{reading_grade_level_target}} plain language principles.
2. Map potential cognitive and sensory barriers relevant to {{patient_demographic_focus}} navigating {{health_condition_domain}}.
3. Define tactile target sizing, contrast ratios, and typography scalability tests based on {{accessibility_standard}}.
4. Structure voice-over navigation checkpoints, focus management sequences, and ARIA-live alert validation steps.
5. Audit medical terminology translations, diagnostic explanations, and dosage instructions for plain-language compliance.
6. Formulate specific verification tests across {{assistive_tech_stack}} to prevent screen reader trap states.
7. Assemble prioritized checklist criteria categorizing friction into critical equity barriers versus usability enhancements.

Constraints

• Focus exclusively on patient accessibility, health literacy, and equitable user experience.
• MUST ensure all reading levels are benchmarked strictly against {{reading_grade_level_target}}.
• MUST NOT use generic accessibility checklists; all criteria must reference patient tasks in {{portal_core_feature}}.
• Must provide concrete pass/fail criteria for both technical accessibility and semantic comprehension.

Output format

• Accessibility Scope & Patient Profile: Concise contextual framing (max 100 words).
• Health Literacy Checklist: 5-7 checks focusing on medical plain language, numeric clarity, and layout cognitive load.
• Technical Accessibility Checklist: 8-10 checks covering screen readers, keyboard navigation, contrast, and tap targets.
• Remediation Action Items: Ranked table with columns for Barrier, Impact on Patient, and Required Fix.

Self-review

• Does the checklist account for patients with low health literacy and situational impairments?
• Are technical WCAG criteria translated into clear tests for {{assistive_tech_stack}}?
• Are all medical instruction checkpoints aligned with {{health_condition_domain}}?