 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
David Boan, PhD, Information Science, Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care, 9240 Centreville Rd, Easton, MD 21601, 410.822.0697, dboan@dfmc.org and Steven Barnett, MD, Dept of Family Medicine, University of Rochester, 885 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620.
Background: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have supported a series of projects to develop standards and resources for clinicians working with deaf and hard-of-hearing people. This presentation covers the most recent phase of this project, which is to develop a compilation of model healthcare practices for working with people with hearing loss.
Methods: The authors used three methods to learn about model practices from clinicians’ perspectives. The project began by identifying and contacting clinicians who saw many patients with hearing loss. The return rate on a survey mailed to these clinicians was 1.5%, with 0% available for follow-up interviews. The second approach was to contact and interview clinicians known within deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. Using this approach we identified 12 clinical sites with skills specific to working with deaf people who communicate in American Sign Language (ASL). It was more challenging to locate clinicians with skills and experience working with deaf and hard-of-hearing people who do not communicate in ASL. The third method was to interview clinicians identified through recommendations and networking (including snowballing recruitment). The authors also sought to learn about model practices from the perspectives of consumers with hearing loss. A literature review helped identify published reports of the experiences and views of consumers who are deaf or hard of hearing. This information was integrated with that obtained from clinicians to create a compendium of practices.
Presentation: The authors discuss the methods, limitations, and findings, and the uses and implications of the compendium of model practices.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Deaf, Quality Improvement
Related Web page: www.deafhoh-health.org
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care
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.