Need for better interpretion.
The 2021 Census says that 22,000 people use BSL as their main language in England and Wales. 75% of deaf patients have barriers to healthcare with hospital staff. 33% find difficulties with medication prescribed, 33% are uncertain about diagnosis and 33% avoid seeing their GP. [2] The Signhealth guidance for communicating with deaf patients is to use an interpreter, directly talk to the patient with eye contact and attention. To use normal volume and lip movement. Talk directly to your patient, use a well-lit room and simple English. [1]
Resources:
- BSL sign language dictionary on Sign BSL [3].
- Health video Library [4] has BSL video sign language on medical
definitions.
- Sign Video [5] uses Video Relay service to interpret.
Barriers in the EU [6]:
In the US, there is lower employment for Black deaf adults compared to
white and lower rates of pay for Black women deaf adults compared to men
[10]. There is not a lot of data for ethnic minorities and migrants who
are deaf. In the UK, 75% of those in care homes are hard of hearing. [7]
The NHS gives free hearing aids. 10% of people have tinnitus in the UK.
16% of the UK adult population has hearing loss issues whilst 8 million
with hearing loss issues are 60 and over. [8] Elderly patients who are
sick sometimes can’t hear you or understand you. This decreases the
communication. It’s difficult to communicate with migrants or young people
whose parents don’t understand the language of the country. There’s not a
lot of data or studies on hard of hearing or deaf patients with increasing
difficulties or marginalised issues.
