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Multilingual Healthcare pp 333–347Cite as

Deaf Patients’ Access to Health Services in Switzerland: An Interview with Dr. Tatjana Binggeli, Medical Scientist and President of the Swiss Federation of the Deaf SGB-FSS

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Abstract

In Switzerland, as in other countries, deaf and hearing impaired patients experience deficits in accessing the healthcare system (Binggeli 2015). Too little information on health issues is available to them. Communication with doctors is difficult and there is a lack of sign language interpreters. Deaf and hearing impaired patients report little satisfaction with medical services.

Even though their legal status is well regulated, the laws are poorly implemented and discrimination persists. There is a lack of public and professional awareness of the barriers deaf patients have to overcome to obtain information about medical issues and health facilities.

To counter this, healthcare staff should be educated about the situation of hearing impaired patients, and training in dealing with hearing impaired patients and sign language must be provided. Hearing impaired and deaf medical staff could promote understanding but are under-represented in the healthcare system.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Paulini (2008), RNID (2002).

  2. 2.

    Cf. Binggeli (2015), Paulini (2008).

  3. 3.

    RNID (2002).

  4. 4.

    Cf. Becker (2011), Binggeli (2015), Chaveiro et al. (2009), Dickson and Magowan (2014), DiPietro et al. (1981), Hines (2000), Iezzoni et al. (2003).

  5. 5.

    Cf. Fellinger et al. (2012)

  6. 6.

    Mean value 4.35 on a scale from 1 = “not important at all” to 5 = “very important”, cf. Binggeli (2015).

  7. 7.

    Mean value 3.98 on a scale from 1 = “not important at all” to 5 = “very important”, cf. Binggeli (2015).

  8. 8.

    Mean value 2.71 on a scale of 1 = “yes, absolutely enough” to 5 = “no, absolutely not enough”, cf. RNID (2002).

  9. 9.

    Mean value 2.68 on a scale of 1 = “very satisfied” to 5 = “completely dissatisfied”, cf. RNID (2002).

  10. 10.

    Mean values 2.62 (hearing impaired patients), 3.00 (patients who became deaf late in life), and 3.11 (deaf respondents), respectively, cf. Paulini (2008).

  11. 11.

    Cf. Hines (2000), Dickson and Magowan (2014), Chaveiro et al. (2009).

  12. 12.

    Cf. Binggeli et al. (2009) on patient information.

  13. 13.

    Mean values were: cause unnecessary pain—1.90; unnecessarily prolong the duration of treatment—2.27; difficulties cause them to reduce their visits to the doctor—2.34; perceived quality of treatment is not the same as that of hearing patients—2.66; and visits to the doctor are always extremely stressful—2.84, cf. Binggeli (2015).

  14. 14.

    Cf. Iezzoni et al. (2003).

  15. 15.

    On 1 January 2004, the Disability Equality Act came into force in Switzerland. It states that all disabled persons have the same right to barrier-free access to the services of society. An excerpt from the text of the law reads: “Art. 2. Purpose… 4 There is discrimination in the use of a service if a service is not accessible for disabled persons or only accessible under aggravating conditions” (Federal Council 2015a)—“Art. 2. Zweck… 4 Eine Benachteiligung bei der Inanspruchnahme einer Dienstleistung liegt vor, wenn diese für Behinderte nicht oder nur unter erschwerenden Bedingungen möglich ist” (Bundesrat 2015a).

  16. 16.

    Article 25, “Health”, paragraph (a), states: “[…] Parties shall provide persons with disabilities with free or affordable healthcare of the same scope, quality and standard as other persons […]”; and paragraph (d) “[…] Contracting states shall impose on health professionals the obligation to provide persons with disabilities with care of the same quality as other persons […]”.—Im Artikel 25 “Gesundheit” Absatz a) steht: “[…] stellen die Vertragsparteien Menschen mit Behinderungen eine unentgeltliche oder erschwingliche Gesundheitsversorgung in derselben Bandbreite, von derselben Qualität und auf demselben Standard zur Verfügung wie anderen Menschen […]”; und im Absatz d) “[…] erlegen die Vertragsstaaten den Angehörigen der Gesundheitsberufe die Verpflichtung auf, Menschen mit Behinderungen eine Versorgung von gleicher Qualität wie anderen Menschen angedeihen zu lassen […]”. Cf. Bundesrat (2015a, b), bundesministerium für Justiz und Verbraucherschutz (2002).

  17. 17.

    “ Der ÖGLB setzt sich für eine inklusive Gesellschaft ein, die niemanden ausschliesst. Gehörlose Menschen sehen sich einer hörenden Welt gegenüber, in der es zahlreiche Hürden für sie gibt. Nicht das Nicht-Hören ist das Problem, sondern die Barrieren” (ÖGLB 2015).

  18. 18.

    Cf. RNID (2002).

  19. 19.

    Fellinger and Fellinger (2014).

  20. 20.

    “Wenn ein hörgeschädigter Versicherter in einer Krankenkasse ist, die keinen Vertrag mit einer hörgeschädigtengerechten Klinik hat, so wird er in einer nicht hörgeschädigtengerechten Klinik behandelt. Besonders deutlich wird die Problematik bei Behandlungen, die auf eine intensive Kommunikation angewiesen sind (z. B. Psychiatrie). Wenn ein suchtkranker oder depressiver Schwerhöriger an einer Gruppentherapie o. ä. teilnimmt, ohne etwas zu verstehen, wird er nach kurzer Zeit seine Behandlung bzw. Therapie frustriert abbrechen. Er bleibt mit seinem Problem auf sich gestellt und unversorgt. Oft wird er als nicht therapierbar eingestuft.”

  21. 21.

    Mean values on a scale from 1 = “not important” to 5 = “very important” were: speak slowly and clearly and face the patients in good lighting—4.61; take more time—4.40; write down more things—4.15; mastery of spoken language-accompanying signs—3.30; Swiss-German sign language—3.12; and finger alphabet—2.93, respectively.

  22. 22.

    Cf. Lock (2003).

  23. 23.

    Cf. Schmittdiel (2003), Hospital of the Merciful Brothers (2015).

  24. 24.

    Article 21, “Freedom of expression, opinion and information”, paragraph e) and Article 2, cf, Federal Council (Bundesrat 2015b).

  25. 25.

    Cf. Interesource (2013–2019).

  26. 26.

    Cf. Binggeli (2015); multiple answers were possible.

  27. 27.

    Cf. Procom (2019).

  28. 28.

    Cf. Binggeli (2017).

  29. 29.

    Cf. Hohenstein et al. (2018), Rodríguez Vázquez et al. (2018), and Jekat et al. (2016–2020).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Praxis-Sprung Dr. Binggeli, Moehlin, Switzerland

    Tatjana Binggeli

  2. ZHAW Angewandte Linguistik, Winterthur, Switzerland

    Christiane Hohenstein

Authors
  1. Tatjana Binggeli
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  2. Christiane Hohenstein
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Correspondence to Christiane Hohenstein .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. LCC – Department Angewandte Linguistik, ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Winterthur, Switzerland

    Christiane Hohenstein

  2. FOM Hochschule für Oekonomie & Management, Hamburg, Germany

    Magdalène Lévy-Tödter

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Binggeli, T., Hohenstein, C. (2020). Deaf Patients’ Access to Health Services in Switzerland: An Interview with Dr. Tatjana Binggeli, Medical Scientist and President of the Swiss Federation of the Deaf SGB-FSS. In: Hohenstein, C., Lévy-Tödter, M. (eds) Multilingual Healthcare. FOM-Edition(). Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-27120-6_13

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