Deaf People's Access to Health Care Services in Kabul City: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND

In Afghanistan, there are approximately 434,000 individuals who are deaf. The main barriers to access to health services include the lack of sign language interpreters and communication problems, leading to poor health outcomes. This study was conducted to address the challenges faced by deaf individuals in accessing health care services, considering Afghanistan's specific socio-economic conditions. In this study, access to healthcare refers to the ability to obtain needed healthcare services, while satisfaction of the services received.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the level of access to health care services among deaf people in Kabul City and assess their satisfaction with these services.

METHODS

This study employed an analytical cross-sectional design. The study population consisted of 91 teachers and students, selected via a total method from two schools. The research instrument was a structured questionnaire with acceptable reliability, and the data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 software. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U-tests were performed to find the association factors.

RESULTS

The results of the study showed that 39.6% reported poor access to health services. Satisfaction with health services was moderate in 53.8% of cases, and statistical analysis revealed significant associations between access and variables such as gender P-value=0.019, education level (P-value=0.003), and marital status (P-value=0.018). No significant relationship was found between satisfaction and most demographic factors (age P-value= 0.519, marital status, P-value=0.701; gender, P-value=0.178; P-value=0.591; and family economic status, P-value=0.414).

CONCLUSION

This research demonstrated that deaf people in Kabul face significant systemic barriers in accessing health services. The Communication barriers, including the lack of sign language interpreters and limited sign language skills among healthcare providers, were identified as major barriers associated with access to healthcare services. To improve the situation, training healthcare workers in sign language, deploying professional interpreters, and developing inclusive health policies are recommended.