Sign language: how the nursing staff interacts to take care of deaf patients?

Objective: To identify how the professional nursing staff of a university hospital interacts to care for their deaf patients. Method: A descriptive, exploratory, and quanti-qualitative study performed in the second semester of 2012. Results: Twenty-one nurses (57%) reported never having provided care for deaf patients. Sixteen nurses (43%) have provided care for deaf patients and reported the following means of communication: 12 (46,15%) referred using mime; 4 (15,38%) mentioned using lip reading; 8 (30,77%) used writing; 1 (3,85%) used drawing and; 1 (3,85%) used an interpreter. Conclusion: It is necessary to take effective measures for nursing professionals to communicate appropriately with deaf patients starting with the offering of specific disciplines in all courses and education programs.