Opoku Albert, Usman Mustapha Bin, Adjei Thomas Asafo, Owusu-Afriyie Bright, Opoku William
Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Tepa-Ashanti, Ghana.
Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
BMC Nurs. 2025 Jul 18;24(1):942. doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-03610-y.
Effective communication between healthcare practitioners and patients is essential in ensuring quality healthcare delivery and the attainment of positive health outcomes. However, many healthcare providers lack adequate training to communicate appropriately with patients with hearing loss or hard-of-hearing patients, resulting in avoidable barriers to quality care. Despite the recent integration of sign language training into the curriculum of nursing and midwifery, research examining its application and effectiveness remains limited.
This study examines the perceived relevance, teaching methods, and assessment practices of sign language training in Ghana.
A cross-sectional survey design was employed using a standardised questionnaire to collect data from a convenience sample of 468 s and final-year nursing and midwifery students who had completed a sign language course. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics in IBM SPSS (version 23).
Students recognised the importance of sign language training in providing care for people with hearing loss and the hard-of-hearing community (mean = 3.85, standard deviation = 1.067) and promoting diversity in healthcare (mean = 3.81, standard deviation = 1.045). However, they expressed limited confidence in applying these skills in practical settings (mean = 2.93, standard deviation = 1.207). While students appreciated the engaging instructional methods (mean = 3.70, standard deviation = 1.126) and the validity of assessment practices (mean = 3.77, standard deviation = 1.010), they emphasised the need for more practical training, timely feedback, and continuous skill development to enhance communication with deaf and hard-of-hearing patients.
The findings highlight the value of sign language training but reveal gaps in students' confidence and practical application. Recommendations include increasing practical training opportunities, standardising assessment and feedback mechanisms, and integrating professional interpreters where necessary. Future research should explore the long-term impact of sign language training, evaluate teaching methods, and assess deaf and hard-of-hearing patients' perspectives on interactions with healthcare professionals.
Not applicable.
医疗从业者与患者之间的有效沟通对于确保高质量的医疗服务以及取得积极的健康结果至关重要。然而，许多医疗服务提供者缺乏与听力损失患者或重听患者进行适当沟通的充分培训，从而导致了可避免的优质护理障碍。尽管最近手语培训已纳入护理和助产课程，但对其应用和效果的研究仍然有限。
本研究考察了加纳手语培训的感知相关性、教学方法和评估实践。
采用横断面调查设计，使用标准化问卷从468名完成手语课程的护理和助产专业大三和大四学生的便利样本中收集数据。在IBM SPSS（版本23）中使用描述性统计分析数据。
学生认识到手语培训在为听力损失者和重听群体提供护理（均值 = 3.85，标准差 = 1.067）以及促进医疗保健多样性（均值 = 3.81，标准差 = 1.045）方面的重要性。然而，他们表示在实际环境中应用这些技能的信心有限（均值 = 2.93，标准差 = 1.207）。虽然学生赞赏引人入胜的教学方法（均值 = 3.70，标准差 = 1.126）和评估实践的有效性（均值 = 3.77，标准差 = 1.010），但他们强调需要更多的实践培训、及时反馈和持续的技能发展，以加强与聋哑和重听患者的沟通。
研究结果凸显了手语培训的价值，但也揭示了学生在信心和实际应用方面的差距。建议包括增加实践培训机会、规范评估和反馈机制，并在必要时引入专业口译员。未来的研究应探索手语培训的长期影响，评估教学方法，并评估聋哑和重听患者对与医疗专业人员互动的看法。
不适用。
