Professionals working in the medical and dental fields require adequate hearing for communicating effectively with patients to determine appropriate care. As part of determining diagnosis and treatment various instruments may be used requiring the use of hearing, for example stethoscopes in assessing cardiovascular health.
A range of strategies and equipment are available for those with a hearing impairment, to ensure accurate information can still be obtained and appropriate diagnoses determined.
Workplace adjustments and solutions
On the job solutions
- when taking patient history or asking pertinent information—sit or stand facing the patient and ensure you can clearly see the mouth, facial expressions and body gestures used to assist in describing symptoms
- use visual documents in which patients can indicate on a printed picture of the body or mouth where there pain is
- request ongoing education videos with captions
- if attending medical conferences, request real time captioning on any videos, copies of lecture notes in written format, use of audio loop induction systems or alternative assistive listening systems for clearer sound and less distortion
- request agendas for meetings and read subsequent minutes to confirm the information discussed
- use an attending room with the least amount of background noise. See link below for more information:
Equipment
There are products available for people who have hearing impairment working in the medical and dental fields.
Telephones
A range of telephones can be sourced that have an amplified ring tone, volume controls to assist in increasing the loudness of the incoming caller, or a flashing light on the telephone to alert of incoming calls. See link below for more information:
Hearing aids
A range of hearing aids are available which can assist in amplifying sound and improving communication with patients. See link below for more information:
Assistive listening systems
A range of devices are available to assist those that are deaf or hard of hearing to hear especially when in small or large groups. Essentially they are amplifiers that bring sound directly into the ear. They separate the sounds, particularly speech, that you want to hear from background noise. They improve what is known as the 'speech to noise ratio'. See links below for more information:
Visual alert systems
Visual alert systems such as a flashing light can be placed within the room to advise when patients have arrived, or for use during emergency situations and evacuation might be required. See links below for more information:
Specific medical equipment
Specific medical equipment adapted for those with hearing impairments is available including stethoscopes that have been amplified, are electronic or have earpieces adapted for ear structure malformations. See link below for more information:
Digital stethoscopes that transmit data to computer based software for interpretation to eliminate the need to ‘hear’ the information. See link below for more information:
Other equipment such as digital blood pressure and pulse monitors are available to eliminate the need to hear (WA Deaf Society 2006; Australian Hearing 2005; Word of Mouth Technology 2007)
References
WA Deaf Society Inc. 2006, Providing Accessible Services and Facilities for People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, WA Deaf Society Inc., Perth, viewed 13 July 2007, http://wadeaf.onlinepublicity.net/media/docs/Providing_accessible_services_brochure2006.pdf
Australian Hearing 2005, Adaptive Listening Devices, Australian Hearing, Chatswood, viewed 20 July 2007, http://www.hearing.com.au/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=108&languageId=1&contentId=-1
Word of Mouth Technology 2007, Amplified stethoscopes, Word of Mouth Technology, Boronia, viewed 20 July 2007, http://www.wom.com.au/category.php?c=24+