Abstract
BackgroundCurrent evidence from low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries, such as South Africa, indicates that occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) continues to be a health and safety challenge for the mining industry. There is also evidence of hearing conservation programmes (HCPs) being implemented with limited success.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to explore and document current evidence reflecting recent advances in HCPs in order to identify gaps within the South African HCPs.MethodA systematic literature review was conducted in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. Electronic databases including Sage, Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus MEDLINE, ProQuest and Google Scholar were searched for potential studies published in English between 2010 and 2019 reporting on recent advances in HCPs within the mining industry.ResultsThe study findings revealed a number of important recent advances internationally, which require deliberation for possible implementation within the South African HCPs context. These advances have been presented under seven themes: (1) the use of metrics, (2) pharmacological interventions and hair cell regeneration, (3) artificial neural network, (4) audiology assessment measures, (5) noise monitoring advances, (6) conceptual approaches to HCPs and (7) buying quiet.ConclusionThe study findings raise important advances that may have significant implications for HCPs in LAMI countries where ONIHL remains a highly prevalent occupational health challenge. Establishing feasibility and efficacy of these advances in these contexts to ensure contextual relevance and responsiveness is one of the recommendations to facilitate the success of HCPs targets.
Highlights
A recent systematic review on the management of occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) in the mining sector in Africa between 1994 and 2016 revealed that there is a dearth of research on its management (Moroe, Khoza-Shangase, Kanji, & Ntlhakana, 2018)
Articles between the 2010 and 2019 time frame were selected for inclusion in the study if they were original pieces of scientific work or reports published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, with a focus on recent advances on hearing conservation programme (HCP) or the management of ONIHL, and were published in English
This indicates that as far as advances in the management of occupational noise are concerned, local studies have focused on the use of metrics and conceptual approaches
Summary
A recent systematic review on the management of occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) in the mining sector in Africa between 1994 and 2016 revealed that there is a dearth of research on its management (Moroe, Khoza-Shangase, Kanji, & Ntlhakana, 2018). Findings from this study revealed limited research, often conducted with small sample sizes, limiting the generalisation of findings – research that limited its focus on some aspects of hearing conservation programme (HCP) pillars instead of comprehensive review of these programmes within the African context. These authors argue that the limited research and the nature of the research in this field in Africa is a contributing factor towards the documented failure of HCPs in this context as evidenced by the ONIHL in African countries, which is still on the rise. There is evidence of hearing conservation programmes (HCPs) being implemented with limited success
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