TOWARD BETTER HEALTH COMMUNICATION AMONG DEAF PEOPLE: A MIXED METHODS APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF A NOVEL MHEALTH VIDEOCONFERENCING TOOL

Abstract

Deaf people experience healthcare communication issues due to a lack of British Sign Language interpreters and health staff overly relying on written information (Henning et al., 2011; Reeves & Kokoruwe, 2005; Smeijers & Pfau, 2009). These communication issues negatively affect Deaf people’s health access, outcomes and motivation (Atkinson & Woll, 2012; Emond et al., 2015a; Iezzoni et al., 2004). mHealth interventions for Deaf people were shown to be as effective as face-to-face methods, whilst also helping to reduce costs (Blaiser et al., 2013; Wilson et al., 2015). The present thesis analyses the effects of a new Deaf videoconferencing intervention (InterpreterNow), which was created following a survey about Deaf health needs (Emond et al., 2015a, 2015b). Self-Determination Theory (STD; Deci & Ryan, 2000) was used to examine underlying mechanisms for how Deaf attitudes and motivation in healthcare settings could change due to InterpreterNow use. In Study 1, the appropriateness of SDT for explaining Deaf health motivations was analysed. In Study 2, a waitlist randomised controlled trial was conducted with the aim of examining the changes in healthcare access and communication of Deaf people before and after using InterpreterNow. Study 3 included qualitative interviews and focus groups with British Sign Language interpreters, health professionals and deaf people, which were conducted to gain detailed insight into benefits and issues of InterpreterNow use. Lastly, Study 4 was a feasibility study about the demand for InterpreterNow, how acceptable InterpreterNow was and running costs. Deaf people who were interested in using online methods for health communication found the service particularly useful for making appointments as well as during brief appointments. It was also was found that motivation, communication and access were improved by InterpreterNow and that InterpreterNow use supported cost reduction. Lastly, the thesis highlighted individual differences in Deaf people’s communication preferences.

Date of Award	20 Nov 2019
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Peter Rouse (Supervisor), Martyn Standage (Supervisor) & Thomas Curran (Supervisor)