DEI/Health Equity

1

Date of Presentation

5-2-2024 12:00 AM

College

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine

Poster Abstract

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries mandated the use of facial masks in public environments, especially in healthcare settings.[3] While this was beneficial in reducing the spread of the coronavirus disease, it created many challenges for the deaf/HoH community.[4] In particular, it limited effective communication between healthcare providers and deaf/HoH patients. It was found that masks limit word recognition for both deaf/HoH and non-deaf/HoH individuals. Additionally, both surgical and N95 masks hinder word recognition for deaf/HoH individuals and significantly impact communication during medical appointments.

Keywords

COVID-19, HoH, Deaf, masks, communication, ASL, Persons With Hearing Impairments, Sign Language, Physician-Patient Relations

Disciplines

Health and Medical Administration | Health Services Research | Medical Humanities | Medicine and Health Sciences | Social Psychology and Interaction | Speech and Hearing Science

Document Type

Poster

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May 2nd, 12:00 AM

The Impact of the COVID-19 Mask Mandate on Effective Communication Between Healthcare Providers and Deaf/HoH Patients

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries mandated the use of facial masks in public environments, especially in healthcare settings.[3] While this was beneficial in reducing the spread of the coronavirus disease, it created many challenges for the deaf/HoH community.[4] In particular, it limited effective communication between healthcare providers and deaf/HoH patients. It was found that masks limit word recognition for both deaf/HoH and non-deaf/HoH individuals. Additionally, both surgical and N95 masks hinder word recognition for deaf/HoH individuals and significantly impact communication during medical appointments.

 

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