matt2401

Hello all. I am an ICU nurse that is taking care of a deaf patient for my shift. I wanted to ask a few questions from you guys (and gals). I had an interpreter for the first few hours but they go home at night. First, is it considered rude to talk to another person in the room as my patient can not hear what we are talking about? I think of myself, I would think it is rude if someone talks about me instead of to me if I was standing right there. Second, I showed the patient how he can call me if I am not there (and told the person answering the call button to just call my phone if his room goes off). I have a bunch of sheets of paper to write messages to him and I turned the closed captioning on the TV. I learned a few simple sign language gestures from online. Is there anything else that can make his stay more comfortable? Has anyone been in a hospital and been scared or annoyed by something that happened (I would rather learn from someone else's expierences). Thank you for any feedback!

Matt Cohen, RN

Deafness

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TWA

Sounds like you're doing a great job already, much more effort than many people would put out in such a situation. Good on you!

LDNanna

Please clarify what you mean about talking about and not to the patient. You speak "through" an interpretor. Or do you mean after the terp is off duty? Is this patient an adult? Is this patient coherent? Either way, you would do well to face the patient, speak clearly and include the patient when possible. Yes, the patient is deaf, but does he or she read lips, have any hearing at all? Does he or she use the paper and pen you have provided?

matt2401

The intrepeter has gone home so I am on my own. Sometimes I have another person in the room with me (another nurse to help with something), and I have caught myself wanting to say something to the nurse with me but thought it would be rude. The patient does read lips fairly well, but I am using alot of writing on paper to be clear about important stuff. He is completely deaf. Usually when he understands what I am asking he can motion out in a way I can understand (I think he has had waaaaay more practice than me! )

sara1981

my mom also nurse she doing as CCU but she doing help patient after surgery

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LDNanna

Matt, sounds like you are doing a wonderful job. I think you would do well to ask the pt if he minds that if you speak to another person in the room. He seems to be doing well, as do you. Since you are going through a lot of paper, do you have the old nurses etch-a-sketch toy? In the old days this toy was great for quick yes/no type scenarios or simple questions. Do you have a laptop he could use for the note or word processor program? Paper is cheap, but well worth it. You then have a record of your conversations and concerns. Yes, I would bet he has lots of experience communicating with hearing folk. :smile:

Thanks for your care and concern.

hohDougRN

I applaud your effort and sensitivity to your deaf patient.

I am on opposite side. I work ICU myself and deal with some communication barriers at times. My facility has done well with providing new assistive technology to make my work possible. The MOST difficult part is providing patient's families with updates, stuff like that. Nursing and medical staff are all used to it and work together just fine. I don't know if you have the 12X14 white boards to communicate via writing, but they work great- especially patients who are vented/trached. Most of my patients are on conscious sedation or curare derivatives, vented, or fresh recovering open heart surgeries.

Bottom line is deafness isn't the only communication barrier that exists. There are always others who speak other languages. Most of the time mistakes with other languages and cultures are simply made out of ignorance, not purposely. Most important things in clinical setting is to be genuine with patients and families, and have your patient's trust in your care and knowledge.

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Doug

LDNanna

Doug, I was just hoping that you were here. Yay, nurse!

matt2401

Thank you for your feedback! In response to your question, the only electric equipment we have is this oversized typewriter keyboard for people who are on a ventilator but too weak to hold a pen. It is much more clear if I use paper and a marker. He has shown me some basic sign language words and we have had a few laughs so I guess things are going well.

Now I just need to make him better so he can go home!

LDNanna

Hope if I ever need to go to the hospital that I get a caring nurse like you. Stay with us and keep reading and posting. You will learn a lot and maybe we will too.

matt2401

I think I will! I have been using my down time tonight to read all about deafness, sign language, etc. I am amazed at the thought of not only having to learn sign language as the communication skill, but to have to attach and understand how that applies to a second language (english) when someone might have never heard that language. It is a remarkable feat to accomplish!

I wish I had the option to learn ASL in high school instead of Spanish. I know maybe 10 words en espanoel but I have had more fun signing tonight than I did in 4 years of Spanish.

If anyone has an ICUish questions, please feel free to ask!

Matt

hohDougRN

yeah Matt we ICU brothers got to stick together. LOL its th best place in the hospital to work

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Doug

posts from hell

Write me up a Rx????

It's awesome to know there are people out there like you.
I have to say this: I am so proud that you recognized an issue while talking in the same room as the deaf patient. Personally I do not mind, people have to do their job. As long as you come to me and write, and I am not under some sedation drooling all over the pen and trying to hold the clipboard up.
A lot of people do not recognize the issue.

The term is "Audism". You can look it up in Google. Some people express it in a very strong way. Deaf people are more direct than their hearing counterparts. Do not feel offended if you find something too direct. Keep in mind from your thread alone - I can really say that you are one of the best people out there.
You really do not know how special this means to me.

I'm known as a person that has no feelings on the forum, and for me to say good things about a certain person - that takes a lot of skill. Kudos to you, man.

Keep checking around, maybe we'll see you at a deaf coffee chat near us.

Matt

Dixie

Good on ya Matt, you're doing everything you can and right now as it stands, you're going above and beyond what most RNs do. When I was in the hospital for a week I was annoyed that the CNAs, RNs, and Doctor would converse with my relatives about my condition rather than directly to me. Once I thought about chunking the IV machine at one of them I was so irritated. I didn't even know I was being discharged until the Patient Advocate came in and handed me my discharge paper to sign.

But from what I'm reading your'e doing a super job. Keep it up!

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horselover61

I got out of the hospital last Friday. As I was trying to call the nurse. I heard sound coming out of the speaker and I didnt understand it. Once the nurse is there and I tell them to put a note that the patient is deaf and is to come to my room when I needed once I press the button. Always put the note on the patient chart to let other know that there is a deaf patient. It help alot but few time they forgot. Grrrrrrrr

By the way you are doing good job and keep up the good work.

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TWA

Matt, if you enjoyed using sign language, you might consider taking classes from a local community college or something. I know RNs have freaky busy schedules, but you might be able to find something that works.

Being able to sign, even if it is just basic level, will make you a very, very valuable employee at the hospital, and it will be fun for you!

Loghead

Agreed. Just what I was thinking.

lovezebras

I think it is amazing that you are trying this much to accommodate your deaf patient. I wish all nurses and doctors were like you

shel90

Iam impressed Matt. Although, I never had bad experiences with RNs whenever I was in the hospital or in the dr's office, someone like you would have made my stay much better and less frightening.

Kudos to you and I hope you do stick around here on AllDeaf.

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Lighthouse77

I agree, they always turn to the hearing person about me or our son. My husband is no good at repeating what the doctor said. He is one of those guys where long topics go in one ear out in the other. They need to talk to ME, not my relatives .. or my husband, blah, I can't trust him to give me an accurate information. I asked him "what did the doctor say how many time our son need to take an inhaler?" he'll be like "I dunno". ugh. That's what happen when they trust a hearing person more than the deaf person.

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daystarnite

When I was at the hospital stay for a few night, a few night-shift nurses gave me their phone number so I can text them when I have a question or needed something. It is more fun and nice that way, .

They are very blessed to have a very good nurse like you!

matt2401

First, thank you to all your feedback. I had a great shift and have gotten some sleep. My shift went very well with my patient and I turned him over to a great nurse that I am sure made him feel comfortable.

I think I had worked out a pretty good system during the night. My biggest concern was that when he pushed the call bell there was no way for him to know someone was on the way. I had the person answering the bell to put a note on the computer screen that alerts when a button is pushed that the patient was deaf and she just called me right away. I was able to be in the room in about 30 sec which I think was pretty good. I was able to pick up a few one or two word 'sayings' (thank you, your welcome, pain, medicine, pain medicine, ok, and a..hole....hey gotta learn at least one swear word right?). The charge nurse for today knew how to sign all the letters and some phrases from a college class so she was going to stop in and try and converse a little, at least until the day interpreter came in.

I think I am going to talk to my manager about having a continuing education class put together about dealing with deaf patients. I really was sad and frustrated reading other peoples stories on here. That shouldn't happen, ever.

Now feedback from my perspective. Usually the language barrier I encounter is with spanish speaking patients or families. I usually hear on a regular basis "you need to learn spanish because there are so many spanish speaking people here" from those patients and families as I strugle through my limited vocabulary of spanish. Contrast that to last night where I had someone who was VERY appreciative of my feeble attempts to sign, had fun with me and seemed to want to teach me some sayings (and he was the sick guy!). Wow, what a cool feeling! THiS is why I am in nursing!

I think I am going to look at taking a class, at the very least try and pick up a word or two a shift on my downtime.

Thanks again everyone. I am sure I will be staying around here and asking questions, etc.

Matt

anakin

awww, this melts my cold heart! thank you for the story

matt2401

Hey, now thats an idea I didn't think of! There HAS to be some type of keyboard communication device to use in a hospital. I think I will poke around and look. We have this special two handset phone for patients that come in speaking a language we don't have access to an interpreter (Chinese, Japanese, etc) and I know those services cost a few hundred dollars each time we use it, so that should justify any cost.

Bottesini

Ubi duo. That is the device you seek.

My daughter is a nursing student and works part time as a PCT. If you study ASL it will make you popular with your deaf patient.

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DGirl101

Thanks for everything you've done for your patient!

I'm sure you made a friend for life.