People with disabilities have significant health disparities and face barriers to accessing quality health care. Deaf patients are especially underserved and marginalized in health care settings. First, communication barriers with health care providers lead to fear, mistrust, and frustration among Deaf patients as well as to misunderstandings about their diagnosis and treatment. Poor communication was associated with lower satisfaction with health care quality and access and more preventative adverse events in acute care settings. Second, Deaf patients often have a limited knowledge of health information. Patients who were born Deaf or lost hearing prelingually had no access to incidentally occurring health information from family members, radio, television, or public health service campaigns. Unlike their hearing siblings, they often have no information about their family health history. Finally, Deaf patients with other minoritized identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender identity, LGBTQAI, etc.) are at a higher risk of marginalization and health risks. With meaningful training, health care providers can become more competent and comfortable providing quality health care to Deaf patients.
The AAFP has reviewed Deaf Patient Care Training and deemed it acceptable for up to 0.50 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credits. Term of Approval is from 09/01/2022 to 08/31/2023. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
AMA/AAFP Equivalency:
AAFP Prescribed credit is accepted by the American Medical Association as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)™ toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. When applying for the AMA PRA, Prescribed credit earned must be reported as Prescribed, not as Category 1.
The following virtual reality simulation contains content that some people may find triggering. If you believe that you will find the material triggering, you may choose not to participate or you can withdraw at any time.
Disclaimer:
“A medical practitioner, health care institution, or health care payer has the freedom to decline to perform, participate in, or pay for any health care service which violates the practitioner’s, institution’s, or payer’s conscience as informed by the moral, ethical, or religious beliefs or principles held by the practitioner, institution, or payer.” Law signed on July 1, 2021 and made effective on September 30, 2021.