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Summary
This article explores the communication needs of deaf patients who use British Sign Language as their first or preferred language. It would appear that these needs are not being met, particularly in acute hospital settings. Practical advice is provided for nurses to improve the quality of care that deaf patients receive.
Keywords
Communication; Deafness; Hearing disorders; Nurse-patient relations
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IN OCTOBER 2004 the final implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 came into force. The most significant effect of the new legislation was felt in the public sector which has been given, for the first time, a specific duty to promote disability equality (Morris and Russell 2004). Together with the UK Council on Deafness (UKCoD), the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) conducted a research survey entitled A Simple Cure (RNID 2004a) in collaboration with deaf and hard of hearing groups and charities throughout the UK. The objective was to establish whether evidence received regularly by the RNID and others suggesting widespread poor quality treatment was reflected in reality.
A Simple Cure (RNID 2004a) stated that 42 per cent of deaf and hard of hearing people who had visited hospital as a non-emergency had found it difficult to communicate with NHS staff. This increased to 77 per cent among British Sign Language (BSL) users. It also stated that 70 per cent of BSL users admitted to accident and emergency units were not provided with a BSL interpreter to enable them to communicate. It estimated that the cost to the NHS in terms of missed appointments alone could be as high as £20 million a year. The reasons for missed appointments were not broken down into categories, for example, non-attendance or the interpreter not turning up, but the appointments needed to be re-booked. However, one reason given was that some appointments were missed by patients because of not being able to hear staff calling their name. This may have occurred through a breakdown in communication which denied the nurse the knowledge that the patient was deaf.