Wait, What? What's Going On?- Pregnancy Experiences of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mothers Who Do Not Sign.

OBJECTIVE: Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) women experience higher rates of reproductive healthcare barriers and adverse birth outcomes compared to their hearing peers. This study explores the pregnancy experiences of DHH women who do not sign to better understand their barriers and facilitators to optimal perinatal health care. DESIGN: Qualitative study using thematic analysis. SETTING: Semi-structured, individual remote, or in-person interviews in the United States. SAMPLE: Twenty-two DHH English speakers (non-signers) who gave birth in the United States within the past 5 years. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews explored how DHH women experienced pregnancy and birth, including access to perinatal information and resources, relationships with healthcare providers, communication access, and their involvement with the healthcare system throughout pregnancy. A thematic analysis was conducted. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The barriers and facilitators related to a positive perinatal care experience among DHH women. RESULTS: Five key themes emerged. For barriers, healthcare communication breakdowns and loss of patient autonomy highlighted DHH women's struggle with perinatal health care. In contrast, DHH participants outlined the importance of accessible health communication practices and accommodations, use of patient advocacy or self-advocacy, and assistive technologies for DHH parents for more positive perinatal care experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal healthcare providers and staff should routinely inquire about ways to ensure an inclusive and accessible healthcare experience for their DHH patients and provide communication accommodations for optimal care. Additionally, healthcare providers should be more aware of the unique parenting needs and resources of their DHH patients.

A call for disability health curricula in medical schools.

People with disabilities encounter significant health and health-care inequities yet disability health training in medical education remains inadequate. This Scientific Life article examines the need to integrate disability health education into medical school curricula and shares successful training examples that can serve as a framework for how to accomplish this.

Health Literacy and Difficulty Accessing Information About the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Parents Who Are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing.

People who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) struggle with information marginalization and limited health literacy, challenging their ability to access information on preventing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study assessed the relationship between language preference, health literacy, and COVID-19 information barriers among parents who are DHH in the United States. Data were drawn from a larger study focused on individuals who are DHH who had given birth in the past 10 years. Respondents completed a web-based survey between March 2020 and July 2021. We segmented respondents by language preference [i.e., American Sign Language (ASL), English, or bilingual ASL/English] and used logistic regression models to test the hypothesis that language preference and health literacy were both associated with COVID-19 information marginalization. Of the total sample (N = 417), approximately 17% had limited health literacy, and 22% reported experiencing difficulty accessing information about COVID-19. In adjusted analyses, respondents with limited health literacy ([adjusted odds ratio] aOR = 2.245) and Hispanic ethnicity (aOR = 2.149) had higher risk of reporting information access barriers. There was no association between language preference and reporting COVID-19 information barriers. However, individuals who are DHH with limited health literacy were at higher risk of experiencing information marginalization during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for tailored information based on access needs. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2022;6(4):e310-e315.].