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Medical words are simple in American Sign Language (ASL) — they usually look like what they mean. For example, blood pressure is signed by making a C handshape with your dominant hand and then placing it on your arm muscle. You then mimic working a pump bulb. Check out this table for some common medical terms and treatments.

American Sign Language

Introduction

American Sign Language (ASL) is the primary method of communication and a defining criterion for membership in the Deaf Community. Although no recent studies have been done to determine the precise number of ASL users in the United States , a study in the early 1970’s found between 250,000 and 500,000 ASL users. That number has likely increased significantly due to population growth and the convincing body of scientific evidence supporting the premise that learning sign language early benefits Deaf children’s development

Studies have shown that Deaf individuals experience barriers to accessing medical care, have decreased medical knowledge in comparison to hearing individuals and have limited knowledge of cancer prevention and screening Deaf people report fear, mistrust, frustration, communication barriers, and cultural incompetency among health care providers, as well as other barriers to accessing health care . These findings indicate that the current methods for delivering health care information to the Deaf community are inadequate. Effective ways to close the gap in medical knowledge, improve access to health information and care, and create more positive relationships between the Deaf community and the health care system need to be created. Educational programs in ASL that are presented in a culturally competent manner offer one way of overcoming these barriers

A community-campus partnership (Moores UCSD Cancer Center, Deaf Community Services of San Diego, Inc., Bovee Productions, Gallaudet University, and the National Association of the Deaf) was created to address these problems. One strategy was to create cancer education videos in ASL with open captioning and detailed graphics and then scientifically test the videos’ capacity to facilitate the acquisition and retention of cancer knowledge by members of the Deaf community, as well as appropriate behavioral changes. Studies have demonstrated the usefulness of such videos to improve knowledge about prostate , testicular , colorectal , cervical, breast, and skin cancer. In contrast, a recent study of an educational video on general cancer prevention found that although Deaf persons’ knowledge of cancer prevention information increased with a captioned, ASL video, it did not go up significantly more than for Deaf persons who saw the same video without ASL or captions .

In an earlier study by this research team, 36% of Deaf women reported having no knowledge about ovarian cancer . Over 22,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and over 14,000 women die annually from ovarian cancer in the United States It is the second most common form of gynecologic cancer and the most deadly Enhanced access to ovarian cancer information is important to help people better understand this disease. As t. reatment methods improve, better public understanding of ovarian cancer and its early warning signs may help improve quantity and quality of life.

To increase the Deaf community’s access to ovarian cancer information, the research team created Finding and Surviving Ovarian Cancer, a video to give the Deaf community better access to that information. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the video by testing the following hypotheses: (1) Deaf women would have significantly lower baseline General, Ovarian, and Total Cancer Knowledge scores than hearing women; (2) both Deaf and hearing women’s knowledge would increase from pre- to post-intervention; (3) these knowledge increases would be equivalent across groups; and (4) Deaf women’s post-intervention scores would equal or exceed hearing women’s baseline scores.

The appropriate sign for patient depends on what you mean.

If you mean patient as in “able to delay gratification” or “able to endure until later” then you can use the version of “patient” that is done on the chin:

SUFFER:
This sign is similar to PATIENT except the sign SUFFER uses a twisting movement as it moves downward.

If you mean “patient” as in a person who is under the care of a medical professional, then you can make a cross on your shoulder with a “P” handshape
Sample sentence:  Nurse Katie likes me best! I’m a good patient.

Sign Language for Emergency Situations: ASL, English & Spanish

It has been about two months since the first run of my newest video – Sign Language for Emergency Situations -ASL, English and Spanish appeared at my front door. I carefully opened the huge boxes and looked at the “zillion” copies that were all over my living room floor. How funny, that this little DVD carried so much history with it… none which is reflected on the DVD itself or its’ cover.

You see, I first decided to create this DVD on a date that will be easy to remember- September 11, 2001. It was a date in which many families, including mine, were intimately impacted by the days’ events. I had a brother and a cousin within sneezing distance of the World Trade Center that day. I had other relatives and numerous friends who all had Manhattan addresses. I also knew that many deaf individuals resided in NYC and wondered how terrified were they on that fateful and tragic day when communication was minimal at best and fear was at an all time high. In addition, my own family lives within a half hour to the nation’s capitol. Our local area, including our neighborhood, has dozens of families who work for government agencies, many of them deaf.

That is the day I decided that I wanted to be part of the communication solution for those in the deaf community. I knew that my brother had benefited that day from the ability to ask questions of others that day as he walked the streets looking for a way to get home. He was able to assist others with the information he received and be a benefactor of the generosity of total strangers. He also could hear. But, what happened to the people who were not able to communicate during the flurry of madness on this unbelievable nightmare of a day? Pencil and paper was not practical when there was so much happening and the need for safety was tantamount. If only the emergency response workers knew simple signs such as – EVACUATE!, GO INDOORS, ARE YOU HURT?, WHO IS MISSING?, WHAT IS YOUR NAME? EXPLOSION! DO YOU NEED HELP?

It took me a long time to wrap my head around the events of 9/11. I know that I am not alone. But, then it came to me- I needed to develop something to help people who speak two of the four most common languages, other than English, in the United States to get assistance during natural disasters, medical crisis or if ever there was another 9/11! So, with help from my friends, especially Karina Prizont Cowan, I developed Sign Language for Emergency Situations with ASL and narration in Spanish and English. The entire DVD is signed and open captioned – for all to have access.

I started this journey by querying people who would be first to respond during an emergency. I went to fire stations throughout our local area and ask them what they would include. I asked emergency personnel such questions as – How much time would they dedicate to learning a new skill, such as basics of sign language and what they would want to add, if anything? I also talked to school nurses, health care providers within hospital settings (including pediatrics), educators, parents of special needs children and even people I “met” through social media. I made sure to include deaf people in my “focus” groups. Showing them list after list of vocabulary words and phrases. Finally, the final list was generated and a DVD was filmed. Afterwards, I showed it to many who helped with their initial input. Modifications were made to the video at the very strong request of First Responders who wanted it “short and sweet- 25 minutes or less!”. We also decided to add the Sign Language for Emergency Situations mini-chart that accompanies the DVD as an enclosure. The last piece prior to duplication was two super endorsements- Alison Rhodes the Safety Mom and Mackenzie Kelly of NORCAL Ambulance.

When the DVD was completed we put it up on YouTube and asked many people to “check it out”. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Then I began to think how can I get this to the people who it could benefit most. Twitter, Facebook, friends and good old word of mouth were very effective. Harris Communications- a large distributor of products for the deaf and hearing community who wish to learn ASL, etc. “hopped on board”. Hilary Bilbrey, owner of InspiredbyFamily.com and the creator of the Brecker Bunny Series took my DVD to a safety conference and was kind enough to give me feedback from the very people who I wanted to reach- emergency personnel!

Dozens of phone calls later I have talked to people from all over the country who wanted to know how to access the product, workshops and more. They are excited about the DVDs and the mini-chart for emergencies. They are thrilled that we have a unique product, which no one has encountered before, a TRILINGUAL emergency communication series with English, Spanish and ASL! Also, they like that our little company is accessible and affordable since so many areas have been hard hit financially.

I know that it has only been a very short while since those boxes appeared but I have booked guest speaking appearances to help train emergency personnel around the country. I am hoping this is only the beginning!

Healthful Hints:

Tips for getting started when learning American Sign Language (ASL):

• Learning ASL can be loads of fun! Start with a few words at a time and practice with your family, friends, and co-workers to help your skills to improve quickly (and teach others!)
• Parents should start with signs such as: MORE, HELP, FINISHED, BE CAREFUL with their children (depending on the age and developmental level of the child would determine where to start)
• Also, knowing the letters of the alphabet and numbers 0-10 should be essential for beginners. Why? Because in a true emergency these would be the words most needed to help convey personal information and get an immediate response. If you can spell or read the ASL alphabet (known as the manual alphabet or fingerspelling) then you can convey any information to a deaf person who can “read ASL” and vice versa, such as names, email addresses, and phone numbers.
• Children and adults with special learning challenges often need to sign adaptively. However, adults who live and work with these individuals should sign correctly. The same is true for parent of young children. “Baby sign babble” will give way to correct signing if the adults are good language models.

Signs for Emergency Situations

• Knowing the Signs for CALL 9-1-1! HELP! PAIN, EVACUATE! could save LIVES!
• If Emergency Responders, Law Enforcement officers, Health Care providers, School Nurses and Educators knew basic emergency ASL signs they could help communicate and facilitate assistance during natural disasters, acts of terrorism, emergency health care situations, or if a person is lost or has been abducted.
• Non-emergency situations also can be a reason to learn sign language such as in the case of looking for a lost puppy or fixing a “boo-boo” that occurred on the school playground.

When is a Medical Interpreter for the Deaf Necessary

and Who Pays for the Service?

While not mandated in many countries, sign language communication with the deaf by physicians and other professionals is mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (1990).  In the US, the ADA prohibits health care professionals from discriminating against individuals on the basis of disability. Generally, a health care professional discriminates on the basis of disability (and violates the law) if:

1. A sign language interpreter is necessary to ensure effective communication between a patient and health care professional,

2. The patient has requested an interpreter.

3. The health care professional refuses to provide a qualified interpreter and does not offer to provide other auxiliary aids and/or service that would result in effective communication.

However, there are two exceptions to this general rule:

1. A health care professional does not have to provide an interpreter if doing so would result in a “fundamental alteration” of the professional’s services. This exception will almost never apply to a clinical situation, as a sign language interpreter would not result in a fundamental alteration of a health care professional’s services.
2. A health care professional does not have to provide an interpreter if doing so would result in an “undue burden, i.e., significant difficulty or expense.”  In determining if the provision of an interpreter would result in an “undue burden,” the professional must consider the following:
   1. The cost of the interpreter.
   2. The professional’s overall financial resources.

Additionally, the professional may not refuse to provide and pay for an interpreter because the cost of the interpreter exceeds the professional’s fee for the office visit.

Example of a visit where an interpreter is probably not required:

A deaf individual goes to their physician for a bi-weekly check-up, during which a nurse records the patient’s blood pressure and weight. Exchanging notes and using gestures are likely to provide an effective means of communication at this type of check-up.

A situation where an interpreter is very necessary is offered by this example:

Upon experiencing symptoms of a mild stroke, the same patient returns to their physician for a thorough examination and battery of tests and requests that an interpreter be provided. The physician should arrange and pay for the services of a qualified interpreter, as an interpreter is likely to be necessary for effective communication, given the length and complexity of the communication involved.

In the US and some other countries, the use of interpreters for effective communication of medical information is mandated by law; in other countries, it just plainly the right thing to do!

ASL for Medical Professionals

Patient care suffers when patients and medical professionals have poor communication. If language barriers between doctors and adult patients are not conquered, misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment are more likely to occur.

To provide effective and clear communication between medical staff and patients, a number of tools are available to assist medical professionals with providing effective communication strategies with their patients.

While learning some basic ASL doesn’t qualify you to be an interpreter, it does allow you to engage in conversational communication with a patient and establish a personal connection with them.

ABC’s & Number Signs

ABC’s – (A through Z)

• Used for fingerspelling names, words, and phrases

Numbers 1-10

• Used for counting and assessing the pain scale