How to Communicate With Hearing-Impaired Patients

The medical field requires individuals with compassion and understanding. People in pain or fearful of the unknown are people who are very unpredictable and sometimes quite difficult with which to communicate. If these issues are added onto an individual whose hearing is impaired, the matter can be compounded. Medical professionals trained and ready for hearing-impaired patients are geared toward higher patient satisfaction and a higher standard of patient care.

Things You'll Need

• Interpreter
• Basic signs
• Pictures
• Pen and paper

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Instructions

• 1

  Adopt a written policy within your practice outlining dealings with hearing-impaired patients. Train staff in the specifics of the policy. When all individuals are trained in the policy points, inform patients of the new policy. Recording a policy eases patients who may otherwise be nervous regarding their hearing loss, and it readies staff to potential situations.

• 2

  Acquire an interpreter, if possible. Many individuals with full or partial hearing loss know American Sign Language, or another form of deaf communication. Interpreters assist with translation from ASL to English between the caregiver and the hard of hearing patient.

• 3

  Use visual aids, such as pictures, whenever possible. Pictures will communicate between a hard of hearing patient and a caregiver when words fail to make their mark. Use graphs, pictures of internal body structures, or other visual aids to "talk" to patients regarding their conditions.

• 4

  Enunciate. According to the Western Journal of Medicine, only about 30 percent of English phonemes are visible on the lips; however, many hard of hearing individuals have learned to speech read. Enunciating words while looking directly at the patient will assist the patient who is trying to use other means of communication than hearing.

• 5

  Use the pen and paper to write the most important information for a hard of hearing individual. In the case of specific care or instruction, caretakers need to make sure the patient understands the given direction. Do not accept a head nod as a confirmation, as some patients are too embarrassed to admit a hearing issue. Write down the most important directions or communications to ensure proper reception.