Deaf Awareness

Introduction

Occasionally, we may encounter few deaf patients at workplace, and these are countless times that I am worried if there is a potential for communication breakdown. I always pray that we are able to communicate via pen and paper (i.e. written communication).

• Remember, miscommunication can be fatal in healthcare.

Nonetheless, mastering sign language might be helpful to improve trust and rapport.

Hard of Hearing vs Deaf

The term hard of hearing may be used to describe all degrees of hearing loss up to and including total deafness.

• It is more likely to be used by individuals who have had their hearing loss after the point of language acquisition (usually as a teenager or adult).

People in the deft community are often being born deaf or become deaf in their infancy. They have never had the experience of hearing.

• Deaf people miss out on a lot of information, not just the news or information from the community but also information about what their family and some friends talk about.
• They do not have "subconscious" environmental learning or knowledge by overhearing the conversations around them.

NOTE: On the decibel scale, 0-20 dB is the range of normal hearing.

Lip-Reading

Lip-reading is a skill that requires a person to rely on what can be seen on another person's lips.

• Approximately 90% of speech sounds are made behind the teeth which renders them difficult to see by the lipreader.

Some deaf people are good at lipreading, but what makes this possible is the context of the communication.

• If the person is familiar with the topic and the speaker then they would use that knowledge, more than the words themselves to follow what is going on.
• An assumption is also being made that the person has a good command of the English language to assist them with their prediction. If they do not know the words, then they obviously would not be able to recognise them.

Medication Instructions in Malaysia Sign Language

Interestingly, University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) and Malaysia Federation of the Deaf (MFD) have collaborated to produce a series of videos to reduce communication barrier between pharmacy and the deaf community.

• May click the link here to check through the instructions list.

External Links

• Communicating with Deaf patients, 2005
  
• UMMC Medication Instructions in Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM) and other alternative languages