Date of Presentation
5-4-2023 12:00 AM
College
School of Osteopathic Medicine
Poster Abstract
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines deaf to describe an individual who has total or partial hearing loss. However, the term carries much more weight as it breeds its own culture, Deaf culture, to be exact. There’s an emphasis placed on the spelling where deaf, spelled with a lowercase d, refers to individuals who are born deaf and grew up within this deaf culture. Whereas, members who identify as Deaf with a capital D have lost their hearing later on in life, and did not necessarily grow up within deaf culture. There is often a discrepancy whereby members who identify as d/Deaf or hard of hearing (d/D/hoh) are often confused for having a cognitive impairment or are grouped with the disabled. However, members see their deafness as a way of life, a culture, rather than a disability.
While variants exist, most members of the d/D/hoh community use American Sign Language (ASL). This often creates gaps within communication, especially in the healthcare setting where medical terminology is not easily understood. This research explores the consequences and proposed interventions for the common trends that negatively impact the d/D/hoh community within the clinical setting. The data used in this study was sourced from various search engines including PubMed and Scopus. Results indicated that d/Deaf individuals are less likely to trust their physicians and are less likely to understand diagnoses or follow-up instructions. While communicating, d/Deaf individuals often experience lack of eye contact from healthcare providers, which is often a great source of frustration. Data also showed that women often feel embarrassed when communicating about their health through an interpreter. Surprisingly, it was found that case-based learning raises awareness of such populations and provides insight on how to provide care that best meets their needs. These consequences and more lead to a great deal of frustration among the d/D/hoh community, often discouraging these members from following up with their health. These findings demonstrate a need for intervention; to increase deaf cultural training within healthcare. Efforts can be put forth to make the clinical setting a more inclusive environment for the d/D/hoh community.
Keywords
Deafness, Persons With Hearing Impairments, Culturally Competent Care, Communication Barriers, Health Services Accessibility
Disciplines
Communication Sciences and Disorders | Health Communication | Medical Education | Medicine and Health Sciences | Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases | Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms | Patient Safety | Quality Improvement
Document Type
Poster
Included in
Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons, Health Communication Commons, Medical Education Commons, Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases Commons, Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Commons, Patient Safety Commons, Quality Improvement Commons
Addressing the Health Needs of the (D/d)eaf and Hard of Hearing Community
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines deaf to describe an individual who has total or partial hearing loss. However, the term carries much more weight as it breeds its own culture, Deaf culture, to be exact. There’s an emphasis placed on the spelling where deaf, spelled with a lowercase d, refers to individuals who are born deaf and grew up within this deaf culture. Whereas, members who identify as Deaf with a capital D have lost their hearing later on in life, and did not necessarily grow up within deaf culture. There is often a discrepancy whereby members who identify as d/Deaf or hard of hearing (d/D/hoh) are often confused for having a cognitive impairment or are grouped with the disabled. However, members see their deafness as a way of life, a culture, rather than a disability.
While variants exist, most members of the d/D/hoh community use American Sign Language (ASL). This often creates gaps within communication, especially in the healthcare setting where medical terminology is not easily understood. This research explores the consequences and proposed interventions for the common trends that negatively impact the d/D/hoh community within the clinical setting. The data used in this study was sourced from various search engines including PubMed and Scopus. Results indicated that d/Deaf individuals are less likely to trust their physicians and are less likely to understand diagnoses or follow-up instructions. While communicating, d/Deaf individuals often experience lack of eye contact from healthcare providers, which is often a great source of frustration. Data also showed that women often feel embarrassed when communicating about their health through an interpreter. Surprisingly, it was found that case-based learning raises awareness of such populations and provides insight on how to provide care that best meets their needs. These consequences and more lead to a great deal of frustration among the d/D/hoh community, often discouraging these members from following up with their health. These findings demonstrate a need for intervention; to increase deaf cultural training within healthcare. Efforts can be put forth to make the clinical setting a more inclusive environment for the d/D/hoh community.