Which of the following best describes involving accessibility services for a patient who needs accommodation?

• A. Do nothing unless the patient insists.
• B. Direct the patient to contact accessibility services.
• C. Assess needs, arrange reasonable accommodations, and involve accessibility services if needed.
• D. Provide a generic accessibility brochure.

Answer: (C)

Proactively identifying and arranging accessibility accommodations during patient care is essential. The best approach is to assess the patient’s needs, arrange reasonable accommodations, and involve accessibility services if needed. This ensures you meet your obligation to provide equitable care, removes barriers to communication and treatment, and makes the process efficient so the patient can participate fully in their care. By starting with an assessment, you can tailor supports—such as sign language interpreters, captioning, accessible written materials, assistive devices, or room adjustments—and coordinate with accessibility services to implement them. Relying on the patient to initiate contact or giving only a generic brochure shifts responsibility away from the care team and can miss specific barriers the patient faces. Doing nothing unless the patient insists ignores the provider’s duty to ensure accessible care from the outset.