Abstract

Background: Hearing impairment can affect one or both ears and leads to difficulty in hearing conversational speech or loud sounds. Deaf individuals may not receive proper health care or information due to communication barriers between them and healthcare staff. The purpose is to understand the communication dynamics in these interactions and to examining how communication barriers impact nursing care delivery and nurse-patient relationships.

Methods: The study employed a hermeneutic phenomenological design. Purposive sampling with maximum variation was used to recruit eight nurses, ensuring data richness and reaching saturation. Data analysis was guided by Van Manen's four existential dimensions of lived experience, alongside Lazarus and Folkman’s coping theory for interpretation.

Results: Based on the data collected, participants' lived experiences were categorized into five key areas of communication barriers: lack of sign language knowledge, lack of assistance and support, diagnostic challenges, lack of privacy and confidentiality, and difficulties in providing information, education, and communication. Findings reveal that nurses face substantial communication obstacles, primarily due to limited sign language proficiency and the absence of interpreter support, which significantly hinders their ability to deliver quality care

Conclusion: The study offers profound insights into the experiences and interpretations of communication challenges during nursing encounters of nurses with the hearing impaired, emphasizing the need for improved understanding to enhance care quality and patient outcomes.