Most healthcare professionals lack sign language skills, especially for medical terminologies used to communicate with deaf patients. Such communication gaps most often result in misconception, misdiagnosis, and improper treatment. Besides, due to the unavailability of interpreters, such patients face a delay in getting the required treatment.
Most of the programs in the medical degrees at CHS, JKUAT, and KMTC have a unit on sign language. However, they do not cover specific health terminologies, thus leaving healthcare providers unprepared.
In cooperation with the Kenya National Association of Deaf, JKUAT has developed a curriculum that will train healthcare professionals on sign language. The curriculum will have two modes through which the institution will offer this course: a short course targeting current healthcare professionals and an integration into the Sign Language Unit within the medical degree programs in various universities, including JKUAT and Moi University.
This is a part of the AT Scale project, which hopes to bridge the communication gap between healthcare providers and the deaf population to achieve quality health care for all. Dr. Wallace Karuguti and Mr. Daniel Kariuki from JKUAT’s Department of Rehabilitative Sciences presided over the curriculum development process with insights from experts in health and Kenya Sign Language.
The whole initiative was comprised of Dr. Victoria Ngugi, Lecturer Clinical Medicine, JKUAT; speech and language therapist Mr. Francis Njenga of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital; Mr. Daniel Kariuki, Lecturer in the Department of Rehabilitative Sciences at JKUAT; and Ms. Mercy Wanza, an Occupational Therapist with the Clinton Health Access Initiative. They drew up a list of varied medical terminologies and case scenarios, which deaf members from KNAD translated into sign language and videotaped for reference.
Dr. Karuguti insisted that this move was important in ensuring deaf-inclusive healthcare and maintained the doctor-patient privacy. “In coming up with this curriculum, we are way far in making our health inclusive to all. Deaf people may hate going to the hospital due to past experiences attributed to lack of interpretation.”.
According to Mr. Nickson Kakiri, Chairman of KNAD, many deaf patients feel socially shut out from health centers due to a communication gap. “Integrating sign language into medical training empowers health professionals to provide better care for a significant and often overlooked segment of our population,” he said.
A five-day workshop has been held by the Clinton Health Access Initiative under the AT Scale project. CHAI works directly with the government through the development and coordination of strategies at the national level in healthcare accessibility. According to Antony Mukui, a Program Manager in CHAI, the strategies may include supporting the integration of sign language training into medical education and continuous professional development for healthcare workers.
The new curriculum is expected to be rolled out later this year once it is validated by KNAD.