When health care personnel provide services to deaf and hard of hearing patients, the encounters are fraught with stress. Patients bring stress to the situation, both stress associated with their physical illness, as well as stress resulting from the compromised ability to communicate with medical personnel. In addition, health care workers often find communication with these patients very daunting and, as a result, experience high levels of stress. Interviews conducted with HIV/AIDS service providers showed that these professionals were reluctant to provide services when they did not know how to interact or communicate with deaf and hard of hearing patients. In response, staff at CHCA conducted numerous training sessions with medical personnel, including HIV/AIDS service providers, on how to communicate with deaf and hard of hearing patients. These trainings demonstrated that medical personnel can break down communication barriers by: 1) learning about the diversity of deaf and hard of hearing people, 2) providing qualified sign language interpreters and/or appropriate assistive listening devices, and 3) being aware of effective communication strategies (e.g., getting the attention of and facing the hard of hearing or deaf patient before starting a conversation, using adequate lighting, reducing background noise). Results from the evaluation of these training demonstrated that education regarding the accessibility needs of deaf and hard of hearing patients reduced the stress levels of these providers, increased their knowledge of effective communication, and ultimately resulted in providing better services to their deaf and hard of hearing patients.
Learning Objectives: 1. The presenter will discuss results from interviews with HIV/AIDS service providers across New York State regarding the accessibility of their services to deaf/hard-of-hearing consumers. 2. The presenter will also discuss the development of a training program for HIV/AIDS service providers on how to communicate with deaf and hard-of-hearing patients
Keywords: Deaf Patients, HIV/AIDS
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.