Background The coronavirus pandemic, in particular the introduction of masks, presented a huge challenge for the UK’s D/deaf community, many of whom rely on visual cues in lipreading and sign language. This particularly affected D/deaf healthcare professionals (HCPs), who faced significant communication challenges at work due to the lack of transparent masks or other reasonable adjustments. Aims To determine the impact that a lack of transparent masks and reasonable adjustments had on communication, confidence at work and well-being among D/deaf HCPs during the coronavirus pandemic. Methods A survey was sent to all members of the ‘UK Deaf Healthcare Professionals Group’ on Facebook, the ‘Healthcare Professionals with Hearing Loss’ listserver and promoted on Social Media. Results Eighty-three responses were received. Nine (11%) individuals had access to transparent masks. Over three-quarters of respondents reported feeling anxious and fearful of making a mistake due to communication difficulties. Fourteen (17%) were removed from clinical roles due to a lack of reasonable adjustments. One-third felt they would need to consider an alternative career if improvements were not made. Seventy-eight per cent felt the communication needs of D/deaf HCPs had not been met during the pandemic. Conclusions D/deaf HCPs felt left behind, isolated and frustrated by a lack of transparent masks and reasonable adjustments to meet their communication needs. Loss of experienced, qualified HCPs has a significant economic and workforce impact, particularly during a pandemic. Urgent action is needed to ensure D/deaf HCPs are provided with the workplace support required under the Equality Act (2010).

中文翻译：

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冠状病毒大流行期间 D/聋人医疗保健专业人员的经验

背景 冠状病毒大流行，尤其是口罩的引入，给英国的 D/聋人社区带来了巨大的挑战，他们中的许多人依赖于唇读和手语中的视觉提示。这尤其影响了 D/聋人医疗保健专业人员 (HCP)，由于缺乏透明口罩或其他合理调整，他们在工作中面临着巨大的沟通挑战。目的 确定在冠状病毒大流行期间缺乏透明口罩和合理调整对 D/聋哑 HCP 的沟通、工作信心和幸福感的影响。方法 在 Facebook 上向“英国聋人医疗保健专家组”、“听力损失医疗保健专家”列表服务器的所有成员发送调查，并在社交媒体上进行宣传。结果 收到了 83 份回复。九（11%）个人可以使用透明口罩。超过四分之三的受访者表示由于沟通困难而感到焦虑和害怕犯错误。由于缺乏合理的调整，14 名 (17%) 被取消了临床角色。三分之一的人认为，如果没有改进，他们将需要考虑另一种职业。78% 的人认为在大流行期间没有满足 D/聋人 HCP 的沟通需求。结论 D/聋人 HCP 因缺乏透明面罩和合理调整以满足他们的沟通需求而感到被遗忘、孤立和沮丧。失去经验丰富、合格的 HCP 会对经济和劳动力产生重大影响，尤其是在大流行期间。