The Deaf Culture and Health
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Question:
The culture of the deaf and hard of hearing is often overlooked because it is characterized as a nonethnic culture. What cultural characteristics do deaf people have in common with other cultural groups? If your client is both deaf and identifies with another cultural group as well, how does this affect your ability to provide quality cultural care?
Deaf Culture
Every culture has their own set of beliefs, communication styles, and traditions. The deaf culture is no different as they consider themselves a minority rather than a medical diagnosis (Andrews et al., 2019). The Deaf community prefers to use a capital “D†so they are set apart from the typical ‘deaf person’ stigma (Andrews et al., 2019). The Deaf community is a group of people that rely on eyesight, visual language, and different positioning to communicate with others (Andrews et al., 2019). They also have their very own language, known as sign language (King 2020). This group has beliefs about their health like many other cultures. One example is they choose not to use cochlear implants or hearing aids to help improve their hearing, even though other people may encourage it (Andrews et al., 2019). Feeling respected and accepted for who they are is just one more similarity shared between all kinds of cultures. Scheier (2009) states that showing respect to a deaf person is as simple as maintaining eye contact and being mindful of social cues during communication.
According to the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS), every patient should receive suitable language assistance as well as appropriate care according to their beliefs and culture (Andrews et al., 2019). It may seem challenging at first to provide superior cultural care when dealing with two or more cultures. However, following the framework provided by CLAS, which includes a cultural assessment of self and client, mutual goal setting, planning, implementation, and evaluation will facilitate exceptional care (Andrews et al., 2019). If the patient, I am providing care to is deaf and identifies with another culture, I need to make sure they receive language assistance utilizing sign language via an interpreter since I am not qualified. I will also make certain that the care I provide is aligned with the specific culture they identify with. Doing these few tasks, will help build a rapport with the patient and assist me providing culturally competent care from every angle.
References
Andrews, M. M., Boyle, J. S., & Collins, J. W. (2019). Transcultural concepts in nursing care (8th ed.). Wolters Kluwer Health.
Sample Paper
The Deaf Culture and Health
Hello, I agree with you that the Deaf Culture has its own beliefs and communication styles. Nurses can define culture as to how a specific population behaves by their values, traditions, and language. The attitudes, morals, and values instilled in their learning from schools and the surrounding community. They also consider themselves as a minority and not a medical condition, which makes them overlooked and characterized as non-ethnic culture (Andrews et al., 2019). There is an interrelation between the Deaf Culture and other cultures because they share almost everything we do from offices, public transport, shopping areas, schools, churches, and family life. Just like people from other cultural groups, they interact with other people surrounding them visually. The deaf does not have the freedom to live in their world, and they have to share the world with other cultures who are different from them. The deaf people may find life difficult due to prejudice, lack of understanding, and discrimination in essential areas like politics and other professions; and be forced to belong to more than one culture. Which, in turn, helps to live in harmony with others like colleagues at work or family members.
Effects of deafness to healthcare provision
Access to healthcare for all is a right despite the difference in cultures. The main challenge is the communication barrier. Many nurses and doctors are not aware of the deaf culture and their needs; hence this has led to many deaf patients reporting lower satisfaction with the healthcare quality (Henner et al., 2018). There is discrimination in preventive care, and they lack health information compared to other groups. Deafness does not have any barriers; it crosses the economic status, age, sex, or race, and there must be an effort to reduce the challenges in health care provision. I agree with you in having an interpreter around you to communicate with your deaf patient. Communication is a significant factor in inpatient care. Giving care to deaf patients will automatically change the way you do things. The communication barriers bring about frustration and mistrust to deaf patients.
There has been a CDC study on female deaf patients where they revealed that they were embarrassed being asked questions in the presence of an interpreter. It is essential to go further and ensure the interpreter is of the same gender (Wilkinson et al., 2020). Even if an interpreter is around, it is important to make physical and eye contact with the client. Eye contact will help in communicating and receiving information firsthand. It is essential to use pen and paper to increase communication between you and the patient. You should also try and understand the patient and ask for clarification where necessary to make a proper prognosis. It is essential to remove any chance of miscommunication among the patient, the interpreter, and you, leading to the wrong diagnosis and treatment. I agree with you it is essential to ensure that the care you provide has corresponded with the specific culture that identifies them. Doing these will help build empathy with the patient and provide culturally appropriate care in every aspect.
References
Andrews, M. M., Boyle, J. S., & Collins, J. W. (2019).
Henner, J., Reis, J., & Hoffmeister, R. (2018). Using Standardized, Receptive ASL Assessments in Deaf Mental Health. In Language Deprivation and Deaf Mental Health (pp. 160-184). Routledge.
Wilkinson, E., & Morford, J. P. (2020). How bilingualism contributes to healthy development in deaf children: A public health perspective. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 24(11), 1330-1338.
