Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42192516›Full record

ArticleBMC pregnancy and childbirth2026

Perspectives of perinatal clinicians when caring for deaf and hard of hearing patients.

Michael M McKee, Kaila V T Helm, Lauren D Smith, Fernanda Escobar, Joanne Forbes, Tiffany A Moore Simas, Kimberly McKee, Margarita M Cooley, Monika Mitra

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Michael M McKeeDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, 1018 Fuller St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, USA. mmmckee@med.umich.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5561-9885
Kaila V T HelmIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1 Gustave L. Levy Pl, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
Lauren D SmithLurie Institute for Disability Policy, Brandeis University, 415 South Street MS 035, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA.
Fernanda EscobarLurie Institute for Disability Policy, Brandeis University, 415 South Street MS 035, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA.
Joanne ForbesSign Language Interpreter Program, Oakland Community College, 2900 Featherstone Rd, Auburn Hill, MI, 48326, USA.
Tiffany A Moore SimasDepartments of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Population & Quantitative Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, USA.
Kimberly McKeeDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, 1018 Fuller St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, USA.
Margarita M CooleyLurie Institute for Disability Policy, Brandeis University, 415 South Street MS 035, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA.
Monika MitraLurie Institute for Disability Policy, Brandeis University, 415 South Street MS 035, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA.

Funding

Pregnancy Outcomes and Experiences among Deaf and Hard of Hearing WomenR01HD090103 · NICHD · BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY · PI MCKEE, MICHAEL M, MITRA, MONIKA · 2017 to 2021
$2.8M
Addressing Severe Maternal Morbidity of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals by Targeting Clinical and Health System FactorsR01HD119006 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI AKOBIRSHOEV, ILHOM, MCKEE, KIMBERLY SCHMITT · 2025 to 2025
$1.6M
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development R01HD090103NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD090103NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD119006
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDeaf and hard of hearing (DHH) patients experience barriers to reproductive healthcare and higher rates of adverse birth outcomes compared to their hearing peers. Furthermore, perinatal clinicians are often ill-prepared to provide appropriate care for this population. This qualitative research study explores the experiences and perspectives of perinatal clinicians who have provided care for DHH patients to better understand barriers and facilitators to providing optimal pregnancy-related healthcare.

methodsInterviews were conducted with twelve perinatal clinicians from different specialties with experience caring for DHH patients. This included nine semi-structured individual remote interviews and one in-person focus group with 3 participants. A thematic analysis was conducted.

resultsEight obstetricians and four midwives participated in the study. Four major themes emerged: (1) communication challenges and solutions, (2) training gaps, (3) implicit bias, audism and patient mistrust and (4) limited resources to support DHH patients. Within each of these major themes, we explored barriers that negatively impacted perinatal care and facilitators that enhanced perinatal care. Communication difficulties were widely reported by clinicians and associated with inconsistencies in how accommodations were provided. Training and resources for recommended communication and care practices for DHH patients were felt critical yet lacking. Observed situations of implicit bias, audism and mistrust adversely affected perinatal care quality and experiences for DHH patients. Lastly, clinicians reported knowledge gaps among their DHH patients that complicated their ability to provide equitable care as providers. Clinicians often struggled to locate accessible DHH perinatal resources.

conclusionsPerinatal clinicians need to be more aware of DHH patients' communication and support needs. Health care systems and training programs need to provide tools and training to allow perinatal clinicians to effectively care for this population.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelDeafnessMidwiferyPerinatal CarePersons with Hearing DisabilitiesAdultCommunicationCommunication BarriersFemaleFocus GroupsHumansObstetriciansPregnancyQualitative ResearchTrustCare deliveryDisabilityHearing lossMaternal healthPerinatal cliniciansPregnancyQualitative research

Identifiers

PMID42192516
PMCPMC13404117

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.