As a healthcare professional, there are simple steps you can take to communicate with people who are deaf or have hearing loss. Accessible communication means that patients can give informed consent and understand what's happening at every stage – from booking an appointment to making decisions about treatment....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Healthcare professionals—including audiologists—should review and align their patient communication protocols with this RNID guidance, particularly around informed consent and appointment accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing patients.
Standardised, evidence-informed communication guidance from a leading patient advocacy organisation helps healthcare settings reduce access barriers and potential legal risk around informed consent for deaf patients.
- 01RNID guidance covers communication with deaf and hard-of-hearing patients across all stages of healthcare, including consent.
- 02Guidance addresses appointment booking, in-consultation communication, and follow-up.
- 03Informed consent processes must account for communication barriers specific to deaf patients.
- 04The resource is aimed at all healthcare professionals, not audiologists exclusively.
- 05No new research evidence is presented; this is expert/organisational guidance.
Healthcare professionals need specific guidance to communicate effectively with deaf or hard-of-hearing patients throughout the care pathway.
guidelinesupported
