Biomedical subjects

Annie G Steinberg

Publications and source records attributed to Annie G Steinberg.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Health care system accessibility. Experiences and perceptions of deaf people.

BACKGROUND: People who are deaf use health care services differently than the general population; little research has been carried out to understand the reasons. OBJECTIVE: To better understand the health care experiences of deaf people who communicate in American Sign Language. DESIGN: Qualitative analyses of focus group discussions in 3 U.S. cities. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-one deaf adults who communicate primarily in American Sign Language. MEASUREMENTS: We collected information about health care communication and perceptions of clinicians' attitudes. We elicited stories of both positive and negative encounters, as well as recommendations for improving health care. RESULTS: Communication difficulties were ubiquitous. Fear, mistrust, and frustration were prominent in participants' descriptions of health care encounters. Positive experiences were characterized by the presence of medically experienced certified interpreters, health care practitioners with sign language skills, and practitioners who made an effort to improve communication. Many participants acknowledged limited knowledge of their legal rights and did not advocate for themselves. Some participants believed that health care practitioners should learn more about sociocultural aspects of deafness. CONCLUSIONS: Deaf people report difficulties using health care services. Physicians can facilitate change to improve this. Future research should explore the perspective of clinicians when working with deaf people, ways to improve communication, and the impact of programs that teach deaf people self-advocacy skills and about their legal rights.

Communication↗

PubMed2004

Parental decision-making in considering cochlear implant technology for a deaf child.

OBJECTIVES: Advances in cochlear implant (CI) technology have increased the complexity of treating childhood deafness. We compare parental decision-making, values, beliefs, and preferences between parents of eligible and ineligible children in considering cochlear implants. METHODS: Surveys were obtained from 83 hearing parents of deaf children. A subset of 50 parents also underwent semi-structured interviews. Nine hypothetical outcomes, ranging from mainstream success to poor mainstream outcome were created to measure parents' overall preferences and preference for specific outcomes for their child who is deaf. RESULTS: Among parents of eligible children (n = 50), approximately 2/3 considered implantation (n = 33). The other 1/3 did not consider implantation. Parents who were eligible but did not consider implantation placed significantly lower priority on mainstream success over bilingual success (P < 0.03), and on the child's ability to speak versus sign (P < 0.02). They also showed significantly higher concerns on the cost of services in general and on the availability of resources offered at the local school district (both P > 0.05). Parents of ineligible children (n = 30) rarely considered implantation, even if they showed similar aspirations in mainstream outcomes (P = 0.003). Semi-structured interview data supported these findings. CONCLUSIONS: The decision to consider cochlear implantation is strongly influenced by the eligibility and by professionals' recommendations. However, for some parents, the decision goes beyond eligibility and is determined by parental preferences, goals, values, and beliefs. This highlights the importance of careful audiologic evaluation and professionals' awareness of and sensitivity to parental goals, values, and beliefs in evaluating the child's candidacy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Socialization experiences and coping strategies of adults raised using spoken language.

This investigation concerned the socialization experiences and coping strategies of a group of 28 deaf adults who were raised using spoken language. Most respondents reported some level of social isolation because of (1) limitations in communication with hearing peers; (2) missing information in social, academic, and work settings; and (3) a sense of being "different." Most participants also reported strategies used to reduce isolation and mitigate the social difficulties associated with their hearing loss.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2003

Parental decision making and the choice of communication modality for the child who is deaf.

BACKGROUND: Early intervention decisions for a deaf or hard of hearing child are difficult to make, partly because of the lack of definitive proof of the superiority of any particular communication approach. OBJECTIVE: To compare the relative importance of the child's hearing loss and parental attitudes, beliefs, values, and aspirations in the decision process. METHODS: Eighty-three parents were surveyed about decision factors that may have affected their choice of communication modality, including resource availability, attitudes and beliefs about hearing loss, values, trade-offs, and goals. Parental preference ratings on hypothetical outcomes were also collected in 4 domains: communication, academic performance, social functioning, and emotional well-being. RESULTS: The child's extent of hearing loss was the most influential decision factor (P<.001). Beyond the extent of hearing loss, logistic regression further showed that parental cognitive-attitudinal factors were important in the inclination to favor an oral approach-if they believed that deafness can and should be corrected and if they desired the child to be able to speak (P =.03 and.04, respectively). Technology that aims at improving the child's ability to speak (eg, cochlear implants) had no significant impact on the decision to choose oral only training. CONCLUSIONS: Professionals who work with deaf children and their parents should recognize the presence of many relevant issues beyond the extent of the child's hearing loss. Interventions may be most effective if aimed at balancing parental beliefs and aspirations and audiologic considerations.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Reasonable accommodations for medical faculty with disabilities.

An unknown number of medical school faculty have disabilities, and their experiences have generally escaped notice and scrutiny. Although most medical schools offer long-term insurance and extended leaves of absence for disability, relatively few have policies explicitly addressing accommodations for faculty with disabilities as they perform teaching, research, and clinical duties. We discuss accommodating active medical school faculty with disabilities, drawing on University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine initiatives exploring the concerns of faculty with sensory and physical disabilities. Anecdotal reports suggest that many faculty, fearing reprisals, resist seeking job accommodations such as those mandated in the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Although some faculty with disabilities have found supportive academic mentors, others report that lax institutional enforcement of ADA requirements, including physical access problems, demonstrates a tepid commitment to disabled staff. Potentially useful job accommodations include adjusting timelines for promotion decisions; reassessing promotions requirements that inherently require extensive travel; improving physical access to teaching, research, and clinical sites; and modifying clinical and teaching schedules. Faculty with disabilities bring identical intellectual and collegial benefits to medical schools as their nondisabled counterparts. In addition, they may offer special insights into how chronic illness and impairments affect daily life.

Architectural Accessibility↗

PubMed2002

Deaf women: experiences and perceptions of healthcare system access.

BACKGROUND: The authors investigated the knowledge, attitudes, and healthcare experiences of Deaf women. METHODS: Interviews with 45 deaf women who participated in focus groups in American Sign Language were translated, transcribed, and analyzed. Deaf women's understanding of women's health issues, knowledge of health vocabulary in both English and American Sign Language, common health concerns among Deaf women, and issues of access to information, including pathways and barriers, were examined. As a qualitative study, the results of this investigation are limited and should be viewed as exploratory. RESULTS: A lack of health knowledge was evident, including little understanding of the meaning or value of cancer screening, mammography, or Pap smears; purposes of prescribed medications, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT); or necessity for other medical or surgical interventions. Negative experiences and avoidance or nonuse of health services were reported, largely due to the lack of a common language with healthcare providers. Insensitive behaviors were also described. Positive experiences and increased access to health information were reported with practitioners who used qualified interpreters. Providers who demonstrated minimal signing skills, a willingness to use paper and pen, and sensitivity to improving communication were appreciated. CONCLUSIONS: Deaf women have unique cultural and linguistic issues that affect healthcare experiences. Improved access to health information may be achieved with specialized resource materials, improved prevention and targeted intervention strategies, and self-advocacy skills development. Healthcare providers must be trained to become more effective communicators with Deaf patients and to use qualified interpreters to assure access to healthcare for Deaf women.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Accommodating medical school faculty with disabilities.

More than ten years have passed since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandated that all employers provide "reasonable accommodations" for employees with disabilities. This mandate applies to medical schools, but no systematic information is available to assess the accommodations provided to medical school faculty with disabilities. This Issue Brief summarizes anecdotal evidence from several medical schools about the experiences of faculty with disabilities, and the barriers they face in establishing and maintaining their careers. It also recommends practical steps medical schools can take to provide a welcoming and accessible academic medical environment.

Architectural Accessibility↗