Parmar Bhavisha, Henshaw Helen, Howe Shahad, Dickinson Ann Marie, Rolfe Crystal, Le Mere Philip, Blondiaux-Ding Emmanuelle, Musker Zara, Stevenson Rachel, Hughes Sarah E, Calvert Sian, Stapleton Emma, Turton Laura
Sound Lab, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
British Society of Audiology, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2025 May 7;20(5):e0322850. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322850. eCollection 2025.
Barriers to communication significantly reduce access to health services for people with deafness or hearing loss (PDHL). These barriers contribute to reduced healthcare-seeking behaviour, poorer access to health information, and adverse health outcomes. In response, a multidisciplinary working group of patients, clinicians, researchers, and charity representatives was established to investigate accessibility, communication, and deaf awareness within the United Kingdom's (UK) National Health Service (NHS).
A cross-sectional survey was conducted to explore the communication and accessibility experiences of PDHL NHS patients, and their perceived impact on well-being. The survey used rating scales and open-ended questions and data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The survey was made available in British Sign Language (BSL).
The online survey was completed by 556 PDHL, including 50 parents, carers, or family members who had accompanied PDHL friends or relatives to NHS appointments. All respondents had used NHS services within the last 24 months, with 10% identifying BSL as their preferred language. Qualitative analysis of the open-ended responses generated three key themes: 1) Accessibility challenges, 2) Impact of communication difficulties across the service pathway, and 3) Lack of consistent, effective deaf-aware communication. Overall, 64.4% of PDHL NHS patients reported missing 50% or more of the important information provided during their NHS appointments, and 32% were satisfied with the communication skills of healthcare staff.
This study presents the largest UK-wide dataset of its kind, and findings highlight the widespread non-compliance with the legally mandated Accessible Information Standards (AIS) within NHS services. The communication barriers identified in this study have significant and long-term implications for the well-being of PDHL patients. Utilising these findings, our working group has developed a set of 'Recommendations For Change' to improve deaf awareness and effective communication across the NHS.
沟通障碍显著减少了失聪或听力损失患者（PDHL）获得医疗服务的机会。这些障碍导致寻求医疗行为减少、获取健康信息的机会变差以及不良健康后果。作为回应，一个由患者、临床医生、研究人员和慈善代表组成的多学科工作小组成立，以调查英国国家医疗服务体系（NHS）内的可及性、沟通和聋人意识情况。
开展了一项横断面调查，以探究PDHL NHS患者的沟通和可及性体验，以及他们所感知到的对幸福感的影响。该调查使用了评分量表和开放式问题，并运用描述性统计和主题分析对数据进行分析。该调查提供英国手语（BSL）版本。
556名PDHL患者完成了在线调查，其中包括50名陪同PDHL朋友或亲属前往NHS就诊的父母、护理人员或家庭成员。所有受访者在过去24个月内都使用过NHS服务，10%的人将BSL列为他们的首选语言。对开放式回答的定性分析产生了三个关键主题：1）可及性挑战；2）整个服务流程中沟通困难的影响；3）缺乏一致、有效的聋人意识沟通。总体而言，64.4%的PDHL NHS患者报告称在NHS就诊期间错过了50%或更多提供的重要信息，32%的患者对医护人员的沟通技巧感到满意。
本研究呈现了英国范围内此类最大的数据集，研究结果凸显了NHS服务中普遍存在未遵守法定的无障碍信息标准（AIS）的情况。本研究中确定的沟通障碍对PDHL患者的幸福感具有重大且长期的影响。利用这些研究结果，我们的工作小组制定了一套“变革建议”，以提高NHS内的聋人意识和有效沟通。
