School of Journalism and Information Communication, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Nov 2;18(21):11519. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111519.
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a great risk to older people with hearing impairment, who face a higher threshold of external communication after the implementation of the emergency isolation policy. As part of a study on the optimization of external communication among the deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) population in central China, this study employed a qualitative research method based on in-depth interviews to explore the needs and difficulties faced by the older DHH group in external communication during public health emergencies in Wuhan, China, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that older DHH people had weak reception of critical information about the epidemic, and had suboptimal access to medical care during emergency quarantine, which increased interpersonal communication barriers to this group. The current findings highlight the urgent need for targeted strengthening of the original emergency communication and coordination mechanisms in public health emergencies, and for improving policy inclusiveness for older DHH individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic and emergencies alike.
新冠疫情对有听力障碍的老年人构成了巨大威胁，在实施紧急隔离政策后，他们在外来交流方面面临着更高的门槛。作为中国中部地区聋人（DHH）群体外部沟通优化研究的一部分，本研究采用基于深度访谈的定性研究方法，探讨了 COVID-19 大流行背景下，中国武汉公共卫生突发事件中，老年 DHH 群体在外部沟通方面的需求和困难。结果表明，老年 DHH 人群对疫情关键信息的接收能力较弱，在紧急隔离期间获得医疗服务的机会欠佳，这增加了他们之间的人际沟通障碍。目前的研究结果强调，迫切需要有针对性地加强公共卫生突发事件中的原有应急沟通和协调机制，并在 COVID-19 大流行和紧急情况下提高对老年 DHH 个人的政策包容性。
