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| Challenges Facing Medical Practitioners in Communicating with the Hearing-Impaired Patients: A Case of Dodoma City Health Facilities |
Muhsin M. Danga, Peter B Kadilikansimbaand Eliakundi Samanya
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Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess the challenges facing medical professionals in communicating with the hearing-impaired patients in selected health facilities using exploratory sequential design. The sample size of the study constituted sixty-seven (67) respondents from selected health facilities of which purposive sampling was adopted for getting the full picture of challenges facing medical professionals in communicating with the hearing-impaired patients in Tanzania. The study was conducted in Dodoma City in four health facilities namely: Dodoma Referral Hospital, Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, Hombolo Health Centre and Habiba Dispensary. The study results revealed: the existence of varied communication methods used between medical practitioners and the HIPs which included lip-reading, gestures, sign languages or use of interpreters. The challenges encountered were lack of facilities for HIPs in healthcare setting, absences of confidentiality, Lack of appropriate Methods of Communication used to attend the HIPs, Lack of communication training for Hearing-Impaired Patients among medical practitioners, and absence of established mechanisms to assist the HIPs as a special group that requires special attention in accessing health services. For effective communication between medical practitioners, and the Hearing-Impaired Patients the following is recommended include: the refinement of health service system that will accommodate all required medical facilities to enable the HIPs access health services, This should include professional interpreters, communication assistive devices, incorporation of the HIPs communication training to medical college curricula. Additionally, the government is advised to allocate sufficient funds for training and procuring facilities for HIPs in Healthcare Settings. From these highlighted factors, this study recommends further researches to be conducted on factors affecting Medical Professionals in Communicating with the Hearing-Impaired Patients by scaling the study scope.
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