Deaf Professionals in Medicine: Designated Interpreters

Don't miss this recent article by Hall, Elliott, and Cullen titled, "Designated Interpreters: A Model to Promote the Diversity and Inclusion of Deaf Professionals in Academic Medicine."

Abstract
PROBLEM:
Deaf professionals who use American Sign Language (ASL) are a growing population in academic medicine. Reasonable accommodations for this group include providing an ASL interpreter. Many institutions contract with external agencies to provide ad hoc interpreters, but this model has hidden costs for deaf professionals and institutions.

APPROACH:
The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (URSMD) uses the designated interpreter model in which interpreters are on staff and embedded with deaf professionals so they can learn both the work environment and the deaf professionals' specialized science and medicine content. This model addresses many of the limitations of the external agency approach and better facilitates the inclusion of deaf professionals in the institution.

OUTCOMES:
This model has been in use at URSMD since 1990 but has seen exponential growth recently (increasing from 3 deaf professionals with designated interpreters in 2011 to a peak of 17 in 2016). Designated interpreters have worked in different research and clinical settings from dentistry and nursing to community and global health. This growth highlights the increasing number of deaf professionals in medicine and the need to train more designated interpreters.

NEXT STEPS:
In response to this growing demand, URSMD is developing an ASL Interpreting in Medicine and Science program, a master's degree-level program to train interpreters who are bilingual in ASL and English to be designated interpreters. The designated interpreter model is one step toward creating an environment that is fully inclusive of deaf professionals to the benefit of the whole institution.


Hall WC, Elliott M, Cullen JP. Designated Interpreters: A Model to Promote the Diversity and Inclusion of Deaf Professionals in Academic Medicine. Acad Med. 2019 May;94(5):697-700. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000002570. PubMed PMID: 30640264; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6483825.

W.C. Hall is research assistant professor, Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, and Public Health Sciences, and Clinical & Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York.

M. Elliott is American Sign Language interpreter, Clinical & Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York.

J.P. Cullen is research associate professor and director of diversity and inclusion, Clinical & Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, and assistant director, Susan B. Anthony Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.

Student shares a story: Medical School and Disability

Chris Connolly, a medical student from University of Michigan, talks about his disability and getting into medical school.

Share your stories for the #DocsWithDisabilities campaign

Have you seen the #DocsWithDisabilities campaign?

The University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the number of practicing #docswithdisabilities in medicine via a social media campaign on Twitter and Instagram.

The campaign is highlighting stories of various DWD (Docs with Disabilities).

We invite you to join the campaign by contributing your story, normalizing the inclusion of DWD in the physician workforce. They are still accepting contributions.

Using submitted photos and stories, they will create an infographic, integrating the hashtag #DocsWithDisabilities with your featured photo, quote, and short bio.

Submit your story here: bit.ly/docswithdisabilitiessubmit

AAMC and UCSF release report about medical students and physicians with disabilities

AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) and the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine (UCSF) released a first-of-its-kind publication that explores the current state of medical education for medical students and physicians with disabilities.

Accessibility, Inclusion, and Action in Medical Education: Lived Experiences of Learners and Physicians With Disabilities is designed to increase awareness and understanding of the challenges and opportunities for individuals with disabilities at the nation’s medical schools and teaching hospitals.

Coauthored by Lisa Meeks, PhD, University of Michigan Medical School and Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, and Neera R. Jain, MS, CRC, policy advisor for the Coalition for Disability Access in Health Science and Medical Education, the report describes practices that can foster a positive culture around disability. One key step is provideing ongoing professional development for faculty on how to communicate with and about people with disabilities.

Learn more about this report here.

Prevalence of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Surgeons and Interventionalists

Published in JAMA Surgery:

Prevalence of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Surgeons and Interventionalists

Physicians in procedural specialties are at high risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This has been called "an impending epidemic" in the context of the looming workforce shortage; however, prevalence estimates vary by study.

OBJECTIVES:

To estimate the prevalence of work-related MSDs among at-risk physicians and to evaluate the scope of preventive efforts.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:

Career prevalence of injuries and 12-month prevalence of pain.

RESULTS:

Among 21 articles (5828 physicians [mean age, 46.0 years; 78.5% male; 12.8 years in practice; 14.4 hours performing procedures per week]) included in this systematic review and meta-analysis, pooled crude prevalence estimates of the most common work-related MSDs were degenerative cervical spine disease in 17% (457 of 2406 physicians) (95% CI, 12%-25%), rotator cuff pathology in 18% (300 of 1513 physicians) (95% CI, 13%-25%), degenerative lumbar spine disease in 19% (544 of 2449 physicians) (95% CI, 5%-16%), and carpal tunnel syndrome in 9% (256 of 2449 physicians) (95% CI, 5%-16%). From 1997 to 2015, the prevalence of degenerative cervical spine disease and degenerative lumbar spine disease increased by 18.3% and 27%, respectively. Pooled prevalence estimates for pain ranged from 35% to 60% and differed by assessment instrument. Of those with a work-related MSD, 12% (277 of 2319 physicians) (95% CI, 7%-18%) required a leave of absence, practice restriction or modification, or early retirement. Heterogeneity was considerable for all crude analyses (mean I2 = 93.5%) but was lower for sensitivity analyses (mean I2 = 72.3%). Interventions focused on products and behaviors. Twelve at-risk specialties described a gross lack of awareness and an unmet need for ergonomics education.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:

Prevalence estimates of work-related MSDs among at-risk physicians appear to be high. Further research is needed to develop and validate an evidence-based applied ergonomics program aimed at preventing these disorders in this population.

Epstein S, Sparer EH, Tran BN, Ruan QZ, Dennerlein JT, Singhal D, Lee BT. Prevalence of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Surgeons and Interventionalists: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Surg. 2018 Feb 21;153(2):e174947. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2017.4947. Epub 2018 Feb 21. PubMed PMID: 29282463.