ACCESSIBILITY APP

FACILITATING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND THOSE WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT AND DEAFNESS

Abstract

Since communication is the main means of interaction in healthcare, it is essential to establish quality in the dialog between professionals and their clients. Considering that the communication barrier hinders professional-client interaction, this study aimed to develop an application to facilitate communication between professionals at Basic Health Units and the deaf and hard of hearing. This is an exploratory methodological study with a quantitative approach. It was carried out in 13 Family Health Units in Health District III in João Pessoa-PB, with a sample made up of 72 participants from a population of 255 health professionals, CAAE 13034819.0.00005179. Inclusion criteria: the entire multi-professional team working in the units with hearing-impaired and deaf users. The instrument used was a semi-structured questionnaire about knowledge of hearing impairment and deafness, the difficulties and communication strategies of professionals with this audience, observation of biopsychosocial aspects, the need to use a Libras interpreter during care, and the importance of creating a technological tool to facilitate communication. The data served as a situational diagnosis for building the application. The data was analyzed using statistical calculations, discussed and correlated with the available literature. It was found that 88% of professionals do not receive guidance on how to deal with deaf or hearing-impaired people, and that 96% of these professionals consider it important to use a technological tool to facilitate communication when dealing with deaf and 94% with hearing-impaired clients. As a result, the app and the printed version (booklet) were created to help professionals with more welcoming and effective service strategies. It can be seen that, due to the lack of preparation of most professionals in relation to the inclusion process, the creation of the app and the booklet are tools that will help improve client-professional communication, generating greater efficiency in the quality of health services.