Everyone’s needs are different, and they can change over time. Always ask rather than assuming what someone needs. Check patient records Before booking an appointment or seeing a patient, check their record for flags about their communication needs. If there are no flags recorded, be proactive and ask the patient what they need....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Clinics should implement a routine process for asking, recording, and retrieving individual communication preferences for deaf and hard-of-hearing patients before every appointment.
Proactively recording and acting on communication preferences is a foundational accessibility practice that reduces appointment failures and supports equitable care for patients with hearing loss.
- 01RNID recommends proactively asking every patient about their communication needs rather than making assumptions.
- 02Preferences should be recorded in patient records and checked before each appointment.
- 03The guidance aims to prevent communication breakdowns that can lead to missed or failed appointments.
- 04This is organisational best-practice guidance, not research-derived evidence.
- 05Applicable to all healthcare settings that serve deaf or hard-of-hearing patients.
Healthcare professionals should proactively ask about and record individual communication needs rather than making assumptions.
guidelinesupported
