title: "I just answer 'yes' to everything they say": access to health care for deaf people in Worcester, South Africa and the politics of exclusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore whether there are other factors besides communication difficulties that hamper access to health care services for deaf patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews with 16 deaf participants from the National Institute for the Deaf in Worcester and 3 Key informants from the Worcester area, South Africa.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Communication difficulties were found to be a prominent barrier in accessing health care services. In addition to this interpersonal factors including lack of independent thought, overprotectedness, non-questioning attitude, and lack of familial communication interact with communication difficulties in a way that further hampers access to health care services.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These interpersonal factors play a unique role in how open and accepting health services feel to deaf patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health care services need to take cognizance of the fact that providing sign language interpreters in the health care setting will not necessarily make access more equitable for deaf patients, as they have additional barriers besides communication to overcome before successfully accessing health care services.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Electronic address: janiskrit@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Janis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kritzinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; Alan J. Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health, Psychiatry and Mental health, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Marguerite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Swartz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; SINTEF Technology and Society, Department of Health, Norway.
authors.forename: Stine Hellum
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Braathen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003638:Deafness; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D011057:Politics; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013019:South Africa; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Access to health care; Deaf patients; Interpersonal factors; Sign language