Health literacy of the Deaf community: a scoping review.

The review did not formally appraise study quality, so it maps the range of evidence rather than proving robust effects. Included studies used different definitions and measurement tools for health literacy, making direct comparison difficult. The search was limited to English, so relevant studies published in other languages may have been missed. Terminology varied across studies, and some may have used deaf, hard of hearing, or hearing loss in ways that do not clearly identify Deaf sign language users. Most studies compared Deaf participants with hearing participants, rather than examining differences within Deaf communities. Few studies focused on children and adolescents, so the review says little about younger Deaf patients. Intervention effects were mostly measured as knowledge gain, and only a small number of studies reported whether knowledge was retained.

Do not read this as evidence that Deaf people have lower health literacy because of individual ability. The review attributes poor literacy to inaccessible health information, communication barriers, and healthcare system failures. It also does not show that sign-language education produces lasting knowledge, because retention was reported in only five studies.