Communication: The Cornerstone of Care
In healthcare, communication is everything. It can make or break patient safety, trust, and outcomes. But let’s be real—it’s not always easy. Language barriers, blindness, deafness, or even just the fast-paced chaos of a unit can get in the way of truly connecting with patients and families.
September is Deaf Awareness Month, and this one hits close to home for me.
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Mimi’s Story
One of my favorite titles isn’t “Nurse,” “Manager,” or even “Boss.” It’s Mimi.
My first grandbaby was born at just 25 weeks—tiny, fragile, and in need of months of care from some of the most amazing nurses I’ve ever known. She overcame every obstacle in the NICU, and when the day finally came to go home, she faced one more challenge: she failed her hearing screening.
Later, she was diagnosed with unilateral hearing loss. It was one more hurdle in a long list of them—but she’s a fighter. And her journey has made me passionate about the ways we, as healthcare professionals, can and should do better.
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Why ASL Belongs in Our Toolbox
We spend so much time in healthcare talking about cultural competence and language access—and we should. But why do we stop short of treating American Sign Language (ASL) as just as important as Spanish, Mandarin, or any other language we encounter?
Every patient deserves to be heard. Every family deserves to be understood. And sometimes that means slowing down, using interpreters, learning a few signs ourselves, or pushing for resources that make communication possible.
Because here’s the truth: communication isn’t optional—it’s care.
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A Call to Action
Deaf Awareness Month is more than a calendar observance—it’s a reminder.
A reminder that inclusion starts with understanding.
A reminder that ASL isn’t “extra”—it’s essential.
And a reminder that, as nurses, doctors, and caregivers, we have the power to make sure no one is left out of the conversation about their own health.
So let’s challenge ourselves:
Learn a few basic ASL phrases.
Advocate for interpreters on your unit.
Teach your teams that every barrier to communication is an opportunity to get creative, compassionate, and better.
Because at the end of the day, whether it’s through spoken words, signs, or the simple act of listening—every patient has the right to be understood.
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How has communication (or lack of it) impacted your patient care? Drop your stories below—I’d love to hear them.