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Basic Medical Sign Language

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.

You fingerspell some medical terms, especially those that are abbreviations anyway. For example, you use the manual alphabet to sign CPR, ER, OR, MRI, ICU, IV, and x-ray, as well as the names of medications.

Try the following sentences for practice:

• English: I need to check your blood pressure.Sign: YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE — CHECK — ME MUST
• English: He needs an injection.Sign: INJECTION — NEED HIM
• English: She has an infection.Sign: INFECTION — HAS HER
• English: Sit in the wheelchair.Sign: WHEELCHAIR — SIT

Best Practices in Caring for the Deaf Patient

This guide offers medical professionals information to understand Deaf culture and identify resources (databases, books, web sites, and more) to continue research topics in this subject.

Basic ASL for the Medical Professional

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

Medical Signs

This video demonstrates a few signs that can help you get started with talking to a Deaf/Hard of Hearing patient. The signs in the video include:

• where
• hurt
• hospital
• allergy
• feel
• medicine
• medical
• history
• calm
• ambulance

These words can be used together to create phrases used to communicate some simple information to Deaf patients and family members.

• Medical Signs (PDF)This link provides you with a PDF document that contains signs for medical terms including: ache/pain, allergy, appointment, assist/help, breathe, blood, chest, cough, doctor, and a variety of other signs that will be helpful for medical professionals.
• American Sign Language UnivesityASL-U is resource site for ASL students and teachers. Here you will find information and resources to help you learn ASL and improve your signing.
• ASL-Lex 2.0This database has videos and descriptions for many signs, not just medical signs. It notes many different aspects of each sign so that you can find similar signs too. Enter a word you wish to look up. The database will suggest some words. Select the word you want.

Interpreters

The primary function of the medical interpreter is to make possible communication between a health care provider and a patient who does not speak the same language.

Many health care facilities have their own interpreter services in place for patient use and may even offer assistive technology for patient use during their care at the facility.

Communication Tips

WORKING WITH AN INTERPRETER

• Look and speak directly to the deaf or hard of hearing person and not to the interpreter
• The interpreter will probably be a few words behind the speaker
• The interpreter is not a participant in the conversation or program and should not be brought into discussion or asked questions

In a program or meeting:

• Be aware there are different types of interpreting and ask users what they need
• Schedule interpreters well in advance (at least two weeks)
• Provide interpreter with copies of handouts and with the names of program/meeting participants and spelling of any technical terms or jargon before the program begins
• Make sure all arrangements (lighting, seating, interpreter preferences, client preferences, etc.) are worked out before the program/meeting begins
• If the interpreter is working alone give adequate breaks