Many healthcare providers lack proficiency in sign language, particularly medical terminologies required to communicate effectively with deaf patients.
This communication barrier can lead to misunderstandings, misdiagnoses, and inadequate treatment.
Additionally, limited availability of interpreters often results in patients experiencing delays in receiving care.
Although most of the medical degree programmes at College of Health Sciences (COHES) at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) have incorporated a unit on sign language, this has not addressed terms that are specific to healthcare, leading to lack of preparedness among healthcare providers.
In response to this, JKUAT in collaboration with Kenya National Association of Deaf (KNAD) has developed a pioneering curriculum designed to teach sign language specifically tailored for health professionals.
This will be delivered in two modes – a short course for health professionals already working in the industry and an integration into the Sign Language unit within the medical degree programmes offered at the various Universities such as JKUAT, Moi University, among others.
This initiative is part of the AT Scale project, that aims to bridge the communication gap between healthcare providers and patients with hearing impairments, ensuring that all individuals receive quality healthcare services regardless of their ability to hear.
The curriculum development exercise spearheaded by Dr Wallace Karuguti and Mr. Daniel Kariuki from the Department of Rehabilitative Sciences at JKUAT, was a collaborative effort between various health professionals and Kenya Sign Language experts.
They included Dr. Victoria Ngugi, Lecturer Clinical Medicine (JKUAT), Mr. Francis Njenga, speech and language therapist from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Mr. Daniel Kariuki Lecturer Department of Rehabilitative Sciences (JKUAT) and Ms. Mercy Wanza an Occupational Therapist working with the Clinton Health Access Initiative.
The professionals contributed a wide range of medical terms and scenarios, from basic interactions to complex medical consultations. Deaf members from KNAD, through their translators, translated these terms into sign language, which was then recorded on video for reference.
This was to ensure that the new curriculum meets the needs of both healthcare providers and deaf patients across the country.
The training lead and a Lecturer of Physiotherapy, Department of Rehabilitative Sciences, Dr. Karuguti, emphasized the importance of this initiative in promoting inclusive healthcare, as well as the doctor-patient privacy which with deaf patients is not possible.
“By developing this curriculum, we are taking a significant step towards ensuring our healthcare system is inclusive and accessible to all. Over the years we have noted that deaf individuals may be reluctant to seek healthcare due to previous negative experiences caused by communication barriers because there were no signs specific to healthcare,” said Dr. Karuguti.
He further explained, some are either illiterate or semi-illiterate so they cannot write down their symptoms, thus leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment.
This initiative has been enthusiastically received by KNAD who are the key stakeholders. According to their Chairman, Mr. Nickson Kakiri through their translator, Mr. Gideon Mbogho, deaf patients often experience social isolation within healthcare settings, feeling excluded from conversations about their own health care due to communication barriers.
“By integrating sign language into medical training, we are empowering our healthcare professionals to provide better care to a significant (often overlooked) segment of our population. This is life changing and we look forward to improving once the curriculum rolls out,” said Mr. Kakiri
The five-day workshop was facilitated by the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) as part of the AT Scale project. CHAI is an organization that collaborates with the government to develop and coordinate national strategies for healthcare accessibility.
The strategies, according to Antony Mukui a Program Manager at CHAI, may include supporting the integration of sign language training into medical education and continuous professional development for healthcare workers, ultimately improving healthcare quality, access and outcomes for the deaf.
The implementation of this new curriculum is expected later this year once the KNAD validates it.
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