Are deaf and hard-of-hearing physicians getting the support they need?

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There is some relief (albeit a bit perverse), in noting Physicians with loss also waste huge amounts of time getting the access they need to do the job.  Who knows, they may develop OWN systems whereby deaf patients get the same access too. 

A team of researchers from the University of California, Davis, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and the University of Michigan surveyed DHoH physicians and medical students to determine whether these and other accommodations enhance career satisfaction and their ability to provide care. 
This research has important implications for DHoH medical students, educators, employers and patients. The article, titled "Deafness Among Physicians and Trainees: A National Survey," appears in the February 2013 issue of Academic Medicine. "We found that many deaf and hard-of-hearing students and physicians are interested in primary care practice and have a special affinity with those who also have a hearing loss," said Darin Latimore, assistant dean for student and resident diversity at UC Davis School of Medicine and one of the study's coauthors. 
"By enhancing training for a diverse range of physicians, we can improve quality of care and access for underserved populations, especially individuals who are deaf or have a hearing loss." The study showed that while DHoH physicians were aided by accommodations they spent significant amounts of personal time arranging for these tools. Institutional support was a critical lynchpin in determining job satisfaction among DHoH physicians and students. Prior to this study, little was known about DHoH physicians in the clinical workplace. The team created an 89-question electronic survey that covered demographics, accommodations, job satisfaction and personal health. Recruitment was a big challenge, as there is no database for DHoH clinicians. 
To overcome it, the researchers adopted snowball sampling, in which participants recruit peers to take the survey. Ultimately, 86 medical students, residents and practicing physicians were recruited and 56 completed the survey. Of the participants, 73 percent described their hearing loss as severe or profound; with all but one having bilateral loss, meaning both ears have a loss of hearing. The majority of the practicing physicians (68 percent) were in primary care, while 23 percent of trainees planned to enter primary care. On average, practicing physicians reported caring for DHoH patients 10 percent of the time. The majority of trainees were uncertain how many DHoH patients they would see.
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