Learning to Listen: Understanding the Health Care Needs of the Deaf Community through Medical Interpreters

Deaf sign language users experience poor health outcomes as a result of inequalities in accessing health care (Barnett et al, 2011). For the approximately 500,000 Deaf people in the United States who use American Sign Language, accessing quality healthcare is challenging (McKee, et al., 2011) and they are often excluded from public health interventions such as health surveillance projects, outreach programs and mass media healthcare messages (Pick, 2013). Clear and efficient communication between physician and patient is critical to achieving quality patient-centered care and reducing health disparities between the hearing and Deaf communities (Lezzoni et al, 2014).  Few studies examine the role of medical interpreters in bridging the communication gap between providers and Deaf patients and recuing health disparities. American Sign Language (ASL) Medical interpreters have a unique perspective on how Deaf and hard of hearing patients experience healthcare.

 This study aims to explore the experiences of ASL medical interpreters in assisting the communication between Deaf patients and hearing health care providers. 10 ASL interpreters will be interviewed in one-on-one in person interviews and asked about their experience interpreting in a medical setting. Transcripts will be coded and grouped into common themes based on experiences of medical ASL interpreters.