The Identifying and Addressing Barriers to PFA Participation worksheet is designed to help the PFAC team reflect on and address potential barriers to participation that are important at the recruitment stage and beyond.

The section of the Toolkit titled Identify and Address Barriers to Recruitment and Participation contains additional information and examples of how hospitals have addressed barriers.

Barriers that may disproportionately affect people from underrepresented backgrounds and affect their sustained participation include the following:

• Meeting logistics (e.g., PFAC meeting days and times that conflict with work schedules)
• Meeting locations (e.g., spaces that are not fully accessible for individuals with disabilities or special health care needs)
• Transportation time and costs
• Child care and family responsibilities
• Lack of compensation
• Lack of technology to participate in virtual meetings
• Lack of interpretation to support participation in meetings and lack of timely translation of other materials and communications
• Lack of participation options that are flexible and structured around the needs of PFAs

Example: Supporting Virtual Meetings

To increase PFA participation, one hospital’s PFAC moved to virtual meetings. The PFAC coordinator reached out to PFAs to discuss their needs related to virtual meeting participation. After learning that some PFAs lacked access to reliable technology for video meetings, the PFAC coordinator identified options for providing tablets and internet access to PFAs with technology needs. To ensure that meetings would be fully accessible to individuals with disabilities, the PFAC coordinator also worked with hospital staff to review accommodation policies and practices for virtual meetings. The PFAC coordinator met with a PFA who used an augmentative and alternative communication device (i.e., AAC, a device that helps someone with speech or language) to learn about effective practices for virtual participation based on the member's prior experiences. The PFAC coordinator then helped establish PFAC communication guidelines and expectations to ensure equitable access and participation. Guidelines included allowing extra time for individuals using AACs to communicate, providing visual aids to reinforce information, and respecting preferred communication methods.