ABSTRACT
Health professionals should adopt best practices that are cognizant of the communication skills of their patients. Pharmacists should be knowledgeable about hearing disabilities to effectively provide medication education to deaf and hard-of-hearing (HH) patients. The Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities requires pharmacists to take the appropriate actions to their patients. However, awareness about the appropriate actions for eliminate discrimination has not increased among medical professionals. This survey examined the knowledge about hearing disabilities, practice of appropriate actions and confidence in medication education to deaf and HH patients on 216 pharmacists in Yahata Pharmaceutical Association in November 2019. Pharmacists had poor awareness about hearing disabilities and about 30% of participants misunderstood appropriate actions in communication to deaf and HH patients. Practice of appropriate action in medication education were taken by only about half of the participants. In particular, placing Ear symbol had not be taken at all. Participants felt that they could provide medication education sufficiently by written materials in spite of poor understanding about the literacy of deaf individuals. On the other hand, they felt unconfident due to lack of understanding about hearing disabilities and how to communicate with their patients. This survey suggests that pharmacists need to learn about hearing disabilities for effective communication and practice of appropriate action in medication education to patients with hearing disabilities. Learning hearing disabilities may enable them to take the actions that are necessary to eliminate discrimination and enhance their confidence in providing medication education.
