Experiences of accessing healthcare services by people with hearing loss/impairment (deaf) in sub-Saharan Africa: An integrative review

Purpose: The aim was to review published articles to identify experiences of people with hearing loss/impairment accessing healthcare services in sub-Saharan Africa.

Design and method: The study was guided by Cooper's integrative review methodology. Articles published between 2010 and 2020 were identified through electronic databases. The search included: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed, EBSCOHOST, MEDLINE, and Psyc INFO and using specific search terms. Ninety-one (91) articles were identified and screened for eligibility, and only seven articles were appraised using relevant tools for qualitative and quantitative designs.

Findings: The articles that met the inclusion criteria were from the following sub-Saharan countries: Ghana (n = 2) South Africa (n = 3) Uganda (n = 1) and Zimbabwe (n = 1). Review analysis revealed seven (7) major themes categorized as: communication, lack of knowledge, discrimination, financial problem, healthcare workers' attitudes, and a lack of autonomy, security and privacy issues.

Conclusion: The review provides evidence that indicate the challenges faced by people with hearing loss/impairment in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies suggest that communication, lack of knowledge; financial problems, lack of autonomy and privacy, and a perception of being discriminated against were major impediments in accessing healthcare service. Undesirable attitudes were also a hindrance for healthcare access.

Clinical relevance: Communication is a major impediment in accessing healthcare for the hearing impaired people residing in sub-Saharan Africa.