Ways to Navigate a Hospital During COVID-19 With a Hearing Loss

Thanks to Terri Charles for alerting us to the following article that was published in The Hearing Journal on April 10.  I know that some of you were able to watch the webinar.

By Alexis Guerra

As hospitals accommodate the increasing number of patients with COVID-19, people who are hard of hearing or deaf are faced with critical challenges in properly communicating with doctors and nurses amid protective masks and physical distancing guidelines. To address this and other related concerns, Chad Ruffin, MD, and Tina Childress, AuD, CCC-A, organized a webinar on April 6.

One of the challenges Ruffin spoke about is the increased restrictions on visitors, making it likely that people who are hard of hearing or deaf will be on their own while at the hospital. Making matters more severe, nurses and doctors will also be wearing masks, eliminating visual cues. Clear masks, according to Ruffin, do not protect health care workers against COVID-19 since they are not comparable to N95 masks.

He also warns that the environment will most likely be noisy and overwhelmed by the sound of the medical equipment and the surplus of patients. However, those who are deaf or hard of hearing should still feel free to request a different nurse or ask to see the accessibility coordinator by speaking to the charge nurse. If care has been rationed or denied altogether, the patient should request an ethics consult and the nursing supervisor.

“A lot of the misconception is that when you go to a hospital for COVID-19, you’re going into a normal hospital setting and that the hospitals will have all the normal equipment and accommodations to provide you the communication tools that you need, and I don’t think this is the right assumption,” said Ruffin. “You are going to be entering a medical disaster scene at some hospitals.”

Despite the challenges that hard of hearing or deaf patients will face during COVID-19, Ruffin points out that a positive effect of the pandemic is the broadening of care with the use of telemedicine. Those who could not be reached prior can now have the opportunity to make appointments with doctors across the country.

If you are someone who is hard of hearing or deaf, Ruffin and Childress suggest doing the following:

  • Talk to your Primary Doctor. If you need to go to the Emergency Department (ED), call your primary doctor first so they may help facilitate the process and also give the ED notice of your needs. They may also be able to solve any issues you may have through a telehealth appointment if it isn’t an issue needing immediate attention.
  • Prepare with your Family. Develop a communication strategy with friends and family before going to the hospital. Coordinate who will be the point of contact while you are at the hospital.
  • Create a Hospital Kit. When preparing to go to the hospital, create your own hospital kit with signage to hang above your hospital bed so others can be made aware of your disability.
  • Use Smartphone Apps. Practice using Speech-to-Text apps, such as Live Transcribe, Otter and Ava at home before going to the hospital. Apps such as InnoCaption and Hamilton CapTel are useful for creating captions for telephone or video calls. Make sure to write down login information if an app requires a password.
  • Keep a Record. Bring a complete list of medications, medical history, contact numbers to the hospital.  A smartphone, chargers, hearing equipment and headbands should also be brought to the hospital with you.
  • Low-tech Solutions. A pad of paper and a pen or a boogie board are also useful communication tools. Bring these to the hospital as a backup tool to your smartphone or hearing device. It’s also important to sanitize any tools that you are bringing with you to the hospital.
  • Prepare for Rounds. Learn what time rounds occur during the daily routine of the hospital so your advocate can phone in. This is so they can assist with coordinating your care while in the hospital and after.

A recording of the webinar is available onlineA similar webinar recording geared toward people who primarily communicate in ASL can also be viewed online.