Deaf individuals have the same rights and protections as every other American citizen. In fact, Deaf individuals are protected by federal civil rights laws, specifically the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in all areas of public accommodation, including public and private health care organizations. Despite this additional protection, Deaf and Hard of Hearing people are routinely denied appropriate medical services because of communication barriers between Deaf patients and their medical team. This lack of patient-provider communication is a major problem within the health care systems. So what rights are you afforded as a Deaf or Hard of Hearing patient when navigating the healthcare system?
Effective Communication in a Medical Office
The number one complaint when it comes to discrimination against Deaf or Hard of Hearing individuals in a healthcare setting is inappropriate or ineffective communication for the patient or the patient’s family. Effective communication is not a one size fits all situation; some individuals rely on sign language interpreters, some have assistive listening devices, some are lip readers and some rely on written or typed messages.
While ideally a healthcare provider or facility would flag a patient as having Deafness and be able to provide accommodations without a patient request, all medical offices should honor a Deaf individuals request for reasonable accommodation in their preferred method of communication (sign language interpretation, auxiliary aids, etc.), Unfortunately, ADA laws state that the communication method provided by the healthcare facility only needs to be effective. Meaning that the patient and health care provider both understand what the other is communicating. This could be as simple as writing notes, although, this can be timely and leave Deaf individuals seeking compassionate health care feeling like their personal communication needs regarding health care are inadequate.
The first step in establishing an effective communication method is to establish a strong relationship with a primary care physician (PCP). Before a Deaf individual’s initial appointment, it is imperative that they reach out and request a reasonable communication accommodation and explicitly state that they are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, so that it is documented and going forward they have equal access to the healthcare environment. This reasonable accommodation is patient specific and can include a qualified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter or an oral interpreter. It is important to note that a qualified ASL interpreter is an interpreter who is well versed in medical terminology and should be able to answer any follow up questions from the patient regarding diagnosis, treatment, or medications.
If you feel that an accommodation offered by a medical office is an ineffective method of communication, make sure to make your feelings known. While written notes or written pamphlets on health concerns the patient is having can be effective for some, if a patient is really suffering with a severe physical ailment, the last thing they would want to do is spend an extended amount of time reading and writing communication back and forth when an interpreter could do the same thing in a shorter amount of time. Also, do not accept lip reading as effective communication. Not all Deaf patients can read lips, and when dealing with important health matters, there should be no room for error.
Many healthcare facilities already employ universal accommodations that make medical facilities inclusive to all patients like providing aftercare instructions in written format, including visual medical aids, such as diagrams and models to explain maladies and providing pamphlets for common health concerns. In addition to in person communication accommodations, many healthcare facilities have made important changes that allow certain aspects of healthcare more inclusive for Deaf or Hard of Hearing individuals including the implementation of online appointment systems, electronic billing systems, telecommunication methods that allow for real timed captions and text to speech for Deaf individuals.
Effective communication in a Medical Emergency
If a Deaf or Hard of Hearing individual finds themselves in an emergency situation where a trip to the hospital is necessary, effective communication becomes more extensive. Title II and III of the ADA state that if an Deaf individual is injured and is transported from the scene of an accident, reasonable accommodation should be made to effectively communicate with the person until they reach the hospital; it is also best practice that EMS personnel call ahead to the hospital to make sure that a sign language interpreter is available for the individual so that doctors are able to accurately assess a patient’s physical status on arrival, because when there is an emergency, every minute counts.
The same goes when a Deaf individual visits the hospital for an emergency. They will need to request a sign language interpreter so that the medical staff and the patient can engage in effective communication. Most hospitals have sign language interpreters available on call to help reduce wait time for effective communication. This is why most Deaf of Hard of Hearing individuals are more likely to utilize emergency room care services for routine health care matters; without an interpreter, miscommunication can occur. A meta study of effective communication between Deaf or Hard of Hearing individuals indicates that receiving a preferred method of communication can result in shorter lengths of hospital stays, fewer readmissions, better treatment adherences, fewer diagnostic tests, better healthcare outcomes and better patient health care satisfaction. After learning this, why wouldn’t healthcare facilities want to invest in the most effective alternative communication method?
Conclusion
Universal training of medical professionals to communicate and treat Deaf or Hard of Hearing individuals, a better understanding of individuals with communication needs, and documentation of a patient records with notation that communication accommodations will be required are all great starts to make healthcare more accessible for Deaf individuals and improve healthcare for Deaf individuals universally. If you are ever in need of bridging the communication gap and creating an inclusive and accessible environment for all, reach out to Unspoken Language Services, a professional sign language interpreter service.
