Deaf Kiwis fight for better healthcare

''There are people missing out on a daily basis.''

Deaf Aotearoa chief executive officer Lachlan Keating

A lack of interpreters means deaf Kiwis can be at risk of invasive and unnecessary procedures, longer hospital stays and higher health costs, a study has found.

The New Zealand Medical Association’s (NZMA) research pointed to the absence of interpreters as reasons for deaf patients being treated without consent, misunderstandings of treatment options, longer emergency wait times, and limited access to general healthcare or information.

In one case a deaf woman without an interpreter misunderstood her blood pressure prescription and had a potentially preventable stroke.

The Deaf New Zealand sign language users’ access to healthcare report found there was a reluctance among district health boards (DHBs) to book interpreters.

It also discovered 87 per cent of GPs believed they had communicated effectively through writing, texts, emails and gestures.

But that was counter to feedback within the New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) community, which said lipreading was not an effective form of communication.

Widespread use of ad hoc communication strategies posed risks for deaf patients, the report said.

‘‘I didn’t understand what was going on, there was nobody at all talking to me, I was just waiting. It was very lonely,’’ a patient in the report said.

Health and literacy gaps were causes of frustration and anxiety among deaf patients.

Some felt they were expected to rely on family members as interpreters because they could not access a professional service.

Deaf Aotearoa chief executive officer Lachlan Keating said of the 100 active sign language interpreters in this country, just six were men.

That could cause issues for deaf men who were more comfortable with the use of a male interpreter for ‘‘sensitive’’ matters.

While there had been a rise in video interpreting services, Keating said people preferred the presence of a face-to-face interpreter in a medical situation.

The study said changes to government policy and training for healthcare personnel could address the ‘‘multiple barriers’’ that deaf people faced. The study will be used to develop a plan for the Wairarapa, Hutt Valley and Capital and Coast district health boards five-year disability strategy, but it was hoped it would be expanded to include the rest of the country.

Keating said the study was a ‘‘credible’’ piece of information that would give weight to the NZSL community’s fight toward better healthcare.

It could enable change for about 4500 people within the NZSL population.

‘‘I think we just need to make sure the research doesn’t end up on the bottom of the pile.

‘‘It’s an opportunity for the government to get it right for deaf people because it’s been too little for too long and there are people missing out on a daily basis,’’ he said.

‘‘There’s basic information that deaf people are missing out on.’’