An Analysis of COVID-19 Global Guidelines Published in the Early Phase of the Pandemic for People with Disabilities

Jeong-hyun Kim, Seungbok Lee, Yun-hwan Lee and Jongbae Kim
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Jeong-hyun Kim: Yonsei Enabling Science and Technology Research Center, College of Health Sciences, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, Korea
Seungbok Lee: Yonsei Enabling Science and Technology Research Center, College of Health Sciences, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, Korea
Yun-hwan Lee: Yonsei Enabling Science and Technology Research Center, College of Health Sciences, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, Korea
Jongbae Kim: Yonsei Enabling Science and Technology Research Center, College of Health Sciences, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-13

Abstract: Purpose: COVID-19 guidelines for persons with disabilities published globally during the early phase of the pandemic by non-governmental organizations and federal agencies were reviewed and analyzed by trends of information provided under various settings. Method: The Google search engine was used by applying the following search terms: COVID-19, Coronavirus 2019, Disability, and Guidelines. Search efforts yielded 514 records from 1 December 2019 to 16 May 2020. The selected 26 guidelines were classified for analysis by organizations (NGOs, non-profit, and governmental institutions), information provided (risks, prevention, and countermeasures), target group (people with disability, service and support providers, and family members), and environmental setting (hospital, community, and home). Results: Government agencies from eight countries published results. Eight of the 26 guidelines were presented by non-governmental organizations, and 18 were not. There were 15 guidelines for individuals with disabilities; seven for service providers, staff, and families providing care; and four addressing both the individuals with a disability and care providers. In terms of appropriate environment and scope, there were 19 guidelines produced for community, government, home, and hospital. The information predominantly presented regarded the prevention of COVID-19 with 22 sources, followed by general information containing risks and response strategies. Conclusion: The majority of the published guidelines focused primarily on the risks and prevention of COVID-19 for people with disabilities. Future procedures should include specific methods in guiding COVID-19 response strategies for the disabled and caregivers who provide essential health services with access to online resources in multiple languages and dialects.

Keywords: coronavirus; COVID-19; infection; disability; guidelines; review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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