A dedicated ambulatory system for the primary healthcare of the Deaf people

Background: A law of 11 February 2005 recognises French Sign Language (LSF) as a language in its own right and requires the implementation of practices that facilitate access to health care of deaf patients. Objective: This study describes an ambulatory system devoted to primary care for the deaf people. Method: Case study: quantitative and prospective analysis of consultation data between 2009/01/01 and 2012/12/01, qualitative analysis of the ambulatory system, of an appointments selection and of some community-based health practices. Results: From an active list of 116 patients, 885 consultations were held. The number of annual consultations doubled between 2009 and 2012; the average number of consultations per patient amounts to 3,5/year. The system, stemming from private practice, consists of a general practitioner trained in LSF, progressively helped by his partners from the group practice. It compensates for the lack of hospital units in the area. The clinical situations described help in the understanding of the project's significance. Conclusion: The benefits of the system are obvious but should not become a reason to ignore the necessity of the creation of a hospital unit that provides health care for the deaf people, including the possibility of a mobile unit taking into account multiple disabilities and isolated people.