Visual and hearing impairments When visiting a radiology Keep background noise What are they? department, individuals to a minimum. with a sensory loss may Be clear and precise Visual impairments experience the following when talking. difficulties: Ensure only one person If an individual has sight loss talks at a time. that cannot be corrected not hearing their Use the patient’s name using glasses or contact name when called for at the start of the lenses, it is referred to as a appointment sentence to gain visual impairment. difficulty responding attention. to instructions eg An individual is considered in…’ ‘breathe to be partially sighted if Useful resources difficulty lip reading they have a moderate loss NHS choices in a dark room of vision but thought of as delay in ability to having severe sight loss or read appointment blindness if they are unable letter, possibly to do activities that rely on missing the eyesight. RNIB appointment difficulty adjusting to Visual difficulties can changes in lighting – Action on hearing loss include difficulties with going from a light visual acuity, the field of waiting room to a vision or central vision dark x-ray room. including blurring or cloudiness. In practice…. Hearing impairments Develop an alerting system so the patients Hearing loss can occur know if their name has suddenly or over time. been called. Try not to rush the The symptoms of hearing patient; allow them loss vary but can include: time to adjust to the changes in light. difficulty hearing Offer to guide the clearly patient. misunderstanding Ensure the patient has what you say a clear view of your needing the volume face. to be increased. Avoid standing with a window or light behind Potential difficulties you.
Visual and hearing impairments What are they? Visual impairments If an individual has sight loss that cannot be corrected using glasses or contact lenses, it is referred to as a visual impairment. An individual is considered to be partially sighted if they have a moderate loss of vision but thought of as having severe sight loss or blindness if they are unable to do activities that rely on eyesight. Visual difficulties can include difficulties with visual acuity, the field of vision or central vision including blurring or cloudiness. Hearing impairments Hearing loss can occur suddenly or over time. The symptoms of hearing loss vary but can include: difficulty hearing clearly misunderstanding what you say needing the volume to be increased. Potential difficulties When visiting a radiology department, individuals with a sensory loss may experience the following difficulties: not hearing their name when called for appointment difficulty responding to instructions eg ‘breathe in…’ difficulty lip reading in a dark room delay in ability to read appointment letter, possibly missing the appointment difficulty adjusting to changes in lighting – going from a light waiting room to a dark x-ray room. In practice…. Develop an alerting system so the patients know if their name has been called. Try not to rush the patient; allow them time to adjust to the changes in light. Offer to guide the patient. Ensure the patient has a clear view of your face. Avoid standing with a window or light behind you. Keep background noise to a minimum. Be clear and precise when talking. Ensure only one person talks at a time. Use the patient’s name at the start of the sentence to gain attention. Useful resources NHS choices RNIB Action on hearing loss