Summaries of Independent Scientist (K) Awards

Barnett, Steven L.

Institution: University of Rochester
Grant Title: Deaf People and Healthcare
Grant Number:  K08 HS15700
Duration: 5 years (2006-2011)
Total Award: $634,960

Project Description: This research seeks to obtain new and valuable information about the healthcare experiences of deaf adult American Sign Language (ASL)-users.  This will be done by translating and adapting the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Ambulatory Care Survey in order to collect information in ASL from deaf people about their healthcare experiences.  There are two goals:

1. Adapt CAHPS ambulatory surveys for use with adults who communicate in ASL.
2. Pilot an adapted CAHPS-ASL with deaf adult users who receive care in four different healthcare settings. 

CAHPS-ASL will be the first national survey adapted to learn about healthcare experiences from deaf adult ASL-users in their own language.

Career Goals: Dr. Barnett is a Family Medicine physician and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Rochester.  He is proficient in ASL and much of his career has focused on the health of deaf people who communicate in that language.  He wants to become a leading expert and independent researcher on the topic of health and health care for deaf people and their families.

Progress to Date: The grantee has made significant progress with formative research necessary to adapt CAHPS® to ASL.  He has identified and evaluated hardware that could be used with a video sign language survey, evaluated the screen format for a computer-based video survey, determined key features to include, evaluated questions with in-depth cognitive interviews, and explored the acceptability of a health survey in a community that has never been surveyed before.

Future Plans: The candidate will develop a focus group research protocol in order to work with deaf individuals and groups to identify deaf-specific health care experiences that can be measured with the adapted CAHPS®.  Dr. Barnett will work with his team to analyze the focus group results and choose deaf-specific domains to include in CAHPS-ASL.  He will also evaluate technology and software design for sign language survey administration and data collection during the administration of the National Center for Deaf Health Research (NCDHR)'s sign language version of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Highlights and Specific Accomplishments:

• Medical Director, Strong Connections Telehealth Sign Language Interpreter Program, University of Rochester Medical Center.
• Co-Associate Director, Rochester Prevention Research Center/National Center for Deaf Health Research, University of Rochester.

K-Generated Publications: None thus far

Return to Recently Funded Career Development Award Grants
Proceed to Next Section