ArticlePloS one2025
Hospital care does not meet the communication needs of patients with hearing loss: A qualitative study of patient experiences.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Unilateral Hearing Loss and Dental Care: A Questionnaire Survey of Patient Challenges and Provider Responses.Special care in dentistry : official publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric DentistryArticle
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17 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundGood communication is essential for high quality healthcare. People with hearing loss face communication challenges during health encounters, which may compromise their experience with care and outcomes, especially in noisy or stressful acute care facilities. Tools and strategies to facilitate two-way communication with these patients and other members of their healthcare team may help address this gap. This study describes the communication-related experiences of patients with hearing loss in Alberta hospitals, which can help inform future strategies in this setting.
methodsDrawing on qualitative description, we conducted focus groups and individual interviews with people with hearing loss who had a recent hospital experience in Alberta, Canada. Focus group and interview transcripts were abductively coded and analyzed, guided by established communication frameworks to explore experiences and opportunities for change.
resultsFourteen people participated in 3 focus groups and 3 interviews. Overall, participants perceived hospitals as not meeting their communication needs. We identified 3 themes: 1) Hearing loss is an invisible disability; 2) Communication is a team effort; 3) Every patient has different needs in different situations.
conclusionsPatients with hearing loss experience communication gaps while in hospital, possibly related to the invisibility and stigma of hearing loss, the lack of awareness about how to identify and accommodate different communication needs, and systemic barriers. Strategies to identify patients' communication needs, train healthcare providers, and increase the uptake of communication tools may help improve communication in this population.
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