ArticleInquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financing
Communication Barriers and Health Literacy Gaps Undermine Equitable Healthcare for Deaf Sign Language Users: A Qualitative Study.
Article in Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financing. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction/ObjectiveDeaf sign language users face persistent barriers to equitable healthcare, yet evidence from non-Western and lower-income contexts remains limited. This study explored the lived experiences of Deaf undergraduate students in Thailand, examining how communication barriers, health literacy gaps, and system design intersect to shape their access to equitable care.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with ten Deaf undergraduate students (aged 18-22 years). Participants were recruited through purposive sampling and interviews were conducted in Thai Sign Language (TSL), facilitated by two professional interpreters working in tandem. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's inductive thematic analysis.ResultsThe analysis revealed four key themes: (1) communication barriers affecting all dimensions of healthcare experience, (2) inaccessible and hearing-centered health information, (3) the critical need for a Deaf-inclusive healthcare system, (4) the lifelong impact of growing up in hearing families on health literacy. These findings highlight how systemic communication gaps directly influence the quality of care and patient empowerment.ConclusionCommunication barriers and health literacy gaps are structural features of hearing-centered healthcare systems that require systemic rather than individual solutions. Deaf sign language must be reconceptualized as a central component of equitable public health communication, supported by institutional infrastructure and enforceable policy mandates. These findings contribute to the international effort to address structural determinants of health inequity among Deaf communities globally.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.