Strategies used in the humanized care of deaf people in Primary Health Care: a literature review

Abstract

Deafness is one of a number of disabilities in the Brazilian population. In order to assist deaf people, it is necessary to understand their needs from a holistic viewpoint. When establishing communication, it is important to emphasize that it is not a one-way street and that understanding alone is not ideal for meeting needs in a welcoming manner. Thus, this study aimed to identify in the scientific literature the strategies used by healthcare professionals in Primary Health Care for humanized care of the deaf population. This is an integrative review, carried out in the LILACS, BDENF, MEDLINE and SciELO databases in October 2023, that included studies published between 2013 and 2023. Five articles that met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. All the findings describe Brazilian studies, of which one is from LILACS, one from BDENF and three from MEDLINE. The main strategies mentioned were the creation of a virtual environment for communication, the use of interpreters/family members and the use of gestures and mimes. This study has helped to show that strategies for humanized care for deaf patients in Primary Health Care are a subject that is little addressed, little discussed and seen as a challenge in the care of these users.