A Study on the Medical Care Utilization and the Health Information in Deafs

Ahn, Soo-Yeon; Yee, Jung-Ae; Yom, Young-Hee

The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education 2006;12(2):143-150.
Published online December 31, 2006.

Ahn, Soo-Yeon;Yee, Jung-Ae;Yom, Young-Hee;

¹Department of Nursing, Hallym University
²Department of Medical Care & Hospital Administration, Hallym College
³Department of Nursing, Chung Ang University

농아인의 의료기관 이용과 보건 및 의료정보 요구 조사

안수연, 이정애, 염영희

¹한림대학교 간호학부
²한림성심대학 의무행정과
³중앙대학교 간호학과

Abstract

Purpose
The purposes of this study were to identify the actual conditions and needs of the health care utilization and health information in deafs. Methods: Forty-one deaf volunteers were interviewed by suwha nursing students. The semi-structured interviews were conducted in sign language at homes and community centers. The instrument developed by researchers consisted of 22 items including demographic information, health care utilization, and open-ended questions. Data were analyzed using content analysis, frequency and percentage. Results: The most discomfort problems were communication difficulty and expression of symptom. The deaf people wanted to learn about diseases and symptoms. The deaf wanted to get information about cancer. Conclusions: Further studies focusing on educational intervention are needed to increase the knowledge level on disease of deaf. The sign language translators are needed to help communication for deaf in health care facilities.

Key Words: Deaf, Sign language, Health information