Perceptions of deaf subjects about communication in Primary Health Care.
Alane Santana Santos, Arlindo José Freire Portes
PMID 30916228WHAT IT FOUND
Deaf adults in Rio reported communication barriers in primary care: 63% stopped seeking care when no mediator was present; 82% did not understand diagnoses and 70% did not understand treatment.
They wanted Brazilian sign language or interpreters.
Key findings
01The absence of a mediator was responsible for 63% of cases in which deaf participants withdrew from seeking health units.
02Most participants did not understand their diagnosis (82%) or their treatment guidelines (70%).
03The main reported communication barriers were the lack of LIBRAS interpreters (85%) and professionals not using LIBRAS (78%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The questionnaire was adapted from a previous study and was not a standardized validated instrument for Brazilian deaf adults. All participants were recruited from a national reference institute for deaf education, and most had high school or higher education, so the results may not apply to deaf people with less education or from other settings. The survey design cannot show that any communication strategy caused better understanding; it reports associations and perceptions. Participants were asked to recall care, and only those who could use LIBRAS and had attended primary care within five years were included.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the frequent use of hearing companions as evidence that it is adequate. It was common, but participants reported it can compromise privacy and autonomy, and some companions did not know sign language.