Barriers that Restrict Health Care Access for the Deaf Community and Interventions for Improved Patient Quality Care

Background: Deaf patients have lower levels of health literacy, given less health prevention, more likely to engage in harmful behaviors, and had higher rates of health disparities compared to the hearing population. Deaf people avoid healthcare because of their distrust of healthcare providers, and their previous negative experiences regarding communication issues. Barriers that restrict health care and proposed interventions were studied regarding the deaf patient population to account for these disparities. Objectives: The purpose of this literature review is to identify barriers that deaf patients face when seeking healthcare and was framed using the Cultural Care Theory. Method: An integrative review was utilized, and literature was analyzed to determine the common themes that were present throughout. Findings/ Results: The barriers with the highest frequencies were lack of cultural competence, lack of resources for the deaf community, and healthcare provider biases. The common interventions that were proposed were the usage of an appropriate interpreter, evaluating the method of communication for each patient prior to providing care for their patient, and how the environment can affect patient interactions. Conclusions: This review discusses three factors that contribute to the barriers that restrict healthcare for the deaf. The intention of this review is to bring awareness to the many barriers that affect the deaf population and to serve as a resource for healthcare providers to improve the patient-provider relationship. Key Words: Deafness, relations, perceptions, providers, culture competence, and nursing