Using

AAC

 

to

communicate

with

medical

staff

The authors used semi structured interviews and a focus group to find out how people who use AAC felt about communication with primary health care staff e.g. GPs. They found that AAC users felt it was easier to communicate with doctors who were specialists or who had known them for a long time than with those who were less familiar with AAC systems.

They concluded that everyone involved in these consultations needed to take time to prepare and that there is a need for on-going communication training for doctors throughout their careers.

Added to site January 2014

What was the aim of the study? The study aimed to find out about the experiences of people who use AAC in communicating with primary care health professionals (e.g.GPs).

Why was the paper written? There is evidence that people with disabilities are less likely than the population in general to use primary or preventative health care services. The authors wanted to find out about AAC users experiences of non-hospital based healthcare and identify any barriers to effective communication and strategies used to overcome these.

connections

Murphy, P. (2009), 'Making connections: veterans without speech master the art of conversation and living'. PN, December 2009, pp.30-35.

A magazine article about US veterans forced by complex disabilities to relearn many things, including the art of conversation.

KEYWORDS: hobbies, relationships, inner strength, employment