Deafness and hard of hearing are hearing impairments. Deafness is a severe hearing loss that can be congenital or develop during life. People who have difficulties with hearing are part of our society and are part of a unique culture of the deaf and hard of hearing that has certain characteristics. People who have hearing difficulties have to use special communication protocols in order to become part of society, with which they also share the same expectations and needs. As healthcare professionals, they should treat everyone equally, and give them equal attention, respect and care. Unfortunately, sometimes due to a lack of time, but also a lack of knowledge in the field of communication with deaf and hard of hearing people, our care for patients is not always complete. Therefore, it is necessary to design successful communication interventions for communication with people with hearing impairment, in order to provide adequate health care. We can communicate with a person who has hearing difficulties in various ways; with sign language, manual alphabet, lip reading, writing and via smart phones. All this requires patience, but in the absence of it, various misunderstandings in communication can occur. It is very important for healthcare professionals to understand the potential concerns and problems of patients who are deaf or hard of hearing and to be aware of the importance of clear and appropriate communication. This paper examines the level of knowledge of the culture of the deaf and hard of hearing, as well as knowledge of the basics of communication between medical professionals and a group of people who have hearing problems. The results showed that healthcare professionals are aware of the communication difficulties that deaf and hard of hearing patients encounter in the healthcare system. Also, the results of the research showed that there is no difference in the communication skills of the respondents with regard to the experience of working with deaf and hard of hearing people, and there is no statistically significant difference in the communication skills of the respondents who took the croatian sign language course and those who did not.