The purpose of this systematic literature review is to analyze and identify the communication between deaf patients and health professionals, as well as to investigate the care offered. The computerized databases were used for data collection, using the keywords paciente (patient), surdo (deaf person), and comunicação (communication). The results were grouped in three categories: communication, health professional education, and legal aspects. The communication category deals with communicative barriers, written language and the presence of the interpreter. In the second category, the focus is on the education of the professionals in relation to the deaf community. The third category reports the legal aspects involved in caring for deaf patients. The review showed that there are communication barriers between deaf patients and health professionals, and that health care is a challenge for both. It also emphasized that there is a need for education regarding the deaf patients.
Communication; Deafness; Sign language; Professional-patient relations
