Hearing Health Care Services Research Articles

Call for equitable hearing healthcare provision: an exploration of Māori adults’ perspectives and lived experiences of ear and hearing healthcare services in Te Waipounamu

ABSTRACT Māori adults are over-represented in self-reported hearing loss statistics in Aotearoa, yet they are currently underserved in hearing healthcare services that were designed using one-size-fits-all Eurocentric ideologies and models of health and disability. Unassisted hearing loss has been linked to increased rates of depression, social isolation, communication issues, early retirement, and cognitive decline, as well as a decreased ability to engage with cultural practices. An area that requires further research is the exploration of Māori adults’ perspectives and experiences of hearing healthcare. This article uses a Kaupapa Māori lens to bring forward Māori narratives and expands on previous research of a te reo Māori hearing screening test. The article shares findings from interviews with Māori adults, exploring both their perspectives and lived experiences of ear and hearing healthcare and te reo hearing assessments. It highlights the barriers that exist for Māori when accessing hearing healthcare in Te Waipounamu (The South Island of Aotearoa) and the desire to see transformative change in the hearing healthcare landscape.

Spanish-speaking Patients' Experiences with Hearing Health Care.

Background/introduction: Health care providers working with Spanish-speaking patients must provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care to meet the communication needs of this population. Disparities related to hearing health care access remain understudied, leaving gaps in clinical practice and guidance for audiologists. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Spanish-speaking patients with hearing loss when accessing hearing health care services through a limited income hearing aid program. Methods: Six Spanish-speaking patients (three monolingual Spanish, three bilingual Spanish/English) with hearing loss from the Oklahoma City metropolitan area completed in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Results/findings: Three main themes emerged: (1) perceived barriers to service delivery (cost, language, and transportation); (2) success with hearing health care (use of interpreters and reduced cost of services and amplification); and (3) cultural factors (family, religion, and use of home remedies). Discussion/conclusion: The themes identified can provide a foundation for service delivery of patient-centered services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate to help improve access to and quality of hearing health care, particularly for this population of patients. This study identified factors that may contribute to hearing health care disparities for Spanish-speaking adults, which may not be observed in other disciplines that are less communication-focused. Suggestions for improving services for audiologists serving Spanish-speaking patients are discussed.

Situational assessment of age of suspicion, diagnosis, and intervention of hearing loss in pediatric population in India and factors that influence them

ObjectiveIn the absence of newborn hearing screening, identification of childhood hearing loss is primarily mediated by parents’ help-seeking behaviour. This study attempted to measure the variables age of suspicion, diagnosis, and intervention of congenital hearing loss in India in a large cohort to verify the efficiency of this approach. It aimed to study the influence of parental perceived awareness, accessibility, and affordability on these milestones. MethodData were collected through a survey method of research using a pre-developed questionnaire as the instrument. The study involved 384 parents of children with hearing loss receiving hearing healthcare services from various healthcare institutions and clinics in Karnataka, India. ResultsThe mean age of suspicion, diagnosis, and intervention of hearing loss after data analysis were 18.6, 25.0, and 30.6 months, respectively. Earlier parental suspicion of hearing loss was associated with earlier diagnosis and intervention in the child. While less than 4 % of the cohort was diagnosed before three months, less than 1 % received intervention within six months of age. Lack of awareness, accessibility, and affordability significantly delayed these milestones. Among the participants, 15.03 % had experienced at least one of the three barriers (lack of awareness, accessibility, and affordability), whereas 35.28 % had reported two barriers, and 41.71 % had reported all three barriers for their help-seeking behavior. ConclusionsRelying on parental help-seeking behaviour cannot result in early identification and intervention required for optimum pediatric hearing healthcare. India should implement comprehensive early hearing detection and intervention program that includes universal newborn hearing screening and addresses awareness, accessibility, and affordability of hearing healthcare services as critical components.

Evaluating the feasibility of a tele-diagnostic auditory brainstem response service in a rural context.

There is a noticeable gap in access to audiology services in South Africa, and the gap is intensified in rural areas. Often, primary healthcare (PHC) facilities have an unequal ratio of audiologists to patients in need. Telehealth can expand the range of hearing healthcare services. This study aimed to determine whether, for infants, tele-diagnostic Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) assessment results conducted within a mobile clinic van are comparable to face-to-face diagnostic ABR results in rural Winterveldt, Pretoria North, South Africa. The study utilised a quantitative, prospective cross-sectional comparative within-subject design. Each participant received both face-to-face and mobile tele-diagnostic ABR tests, which were then compared to evaluate the feasibility of mobile tele-diagnostic ABR testing. The Student's t-test was used to determine whether there was a difference between face-to-face and tele-diagnostic tests, and Bland -Altman plots were used to assess the level of agreement between the ABR testing results. There was a strong correlation (p 0.001) between face-to-face and mobile tele-diagnostic ABR test results for both neurological and audiological ABR tests. The study found that there was no statistical significance between face-to-face and tele-diagnostic ABR measures; additionally, the results were within clinically acceptable and normative measures. Tele-diagnostic ABR offered within a mobile clinic van is feasible as it produces similar and clinically acceptable results when compared to the traditional assessment method.Contribution:This feasibility study is a positive indicator that tele-diagnostic ABR testing through a mobile clinic van may be considered to accelerate the delivery of hearing healthcare services to the infant population in rural communities.

Neonatal Hearing Screening Associated with Congenital Syphilis and HIV.

Introduction: Hearing is fundamental for the development of newborns. The Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening (UNHS) in Brazil seeks to detect hearing loss early to minimize the impact on the child's hearing health. Some coping with underreporting of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), such as congenital syphilis and HIV, are important, considering these situations are correlated with neonatal hearing loss. Objective: To assess the prevalence of congenital syphilis and HIV in newborns from two maternity hospitals in Greater Florianópolis and the impact on hearing, based on the results of the UNHS retest from 2018 to 2022. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study with secondary data of newborns treated at a SUS Hearing Health Care Service (SASA) between 2018 and 2022, referred for OAE and BAEP retests. Results: Of the 1211 newborns referred for retesting, 283 presented the investigated infections. Of these, 170 were diagnosed with congenital syphilis (59.86%), 105 were diagnosed with HIV (36.67%), and 8 with both infections (2.82%). When performing the retest, one newborn did not present a satisfactory auditory result, and the others passed when the OAE and BAEP tests were observed. Conclusion: UNHS is effective, and retests are fundamental in the screening and proper monitoring of the hearing health of newborns. Public health guidelines are evidenced, contributing to neonatal health and hearing health screening.

Association Between Limited English Proficiency and Hearing Healthcare Use in the United States.

To determine whether limited English proficiency (LEP) is associated with likelihood of prior audiogram and hearing aid use among US adults with hearing loss. This cross-sectional study of four merged National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles included 12,636 adults with subjective (self-reported) or objective (audiometric) hearing loss. Subjects were classified as LEP if they completed the NHANES survey in a language other than English, or with the help of an interpreter. Likelihood of audiogram among participants with subjective and objective hearing loss, and likelihood of hearing aid use among participants with objective hearing loss were assessed using unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression. Individuals with LEP were less likely to have undergone audiogram among subjects with subjective (odds ratio [OR] 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67-0.77), and objective (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.65-0.74) hearing loss. The association persisted for those with subjective hearing loss (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.72-0.86), and objective hearing loss (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.73-0.89) after adjusting for relevant covariates. Individuals with LEP were less likely to use hearing aids (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.84-0.93). This association disappeared (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.95-1.04) after adjustment. LEP is associated with lower utilization of hearing healthcare services. This may be due to the complex interplay of socioeconomic and language disparities, which may act as barriers to hearing healthcare utilization. Individuals with LEP should be prioritized when designing interventions to improve accessibility to hearing healthcare. Level 3 Laryngoscope, 2024.

Remote or in-clinic? The effect of service delivery mode on hearing aid output: study protocol for a double-blinded, randomised trial in adults with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss

BackgroundTeleaudiology can potentially improve access to hearing healthcare services. Remote hearing aid fittings offer a new mode of service delivery that removes barriers of geography and access to an audiologist. Real-ear measurements (REMs) are the gold standard for hearing aid output verification but require in-clinic appointments. This study will investigate whether remote hearing aid fittings can provide clinically equivalent outcomes when compared to current, in-clinic, best practice guidelines.Research designA repeated measure, double-blinded crossover design will be used. Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two groups to determine order of intervention, balanced for degree of hearing loss.Study sampleSixty adults with mild to moderate hearing loss and at least 1 year of experience with hearing aids will be recruited.Data collection and analysisParticipants will complete two hearing aid fitting protocols, one using an in-clinic fitting process and the other using a remote (at-home) fitting process. In-clinic fittings will include REMs with adjustments to standard (NAL-NL2) prescription targets. The two fitting protocols will then be randomly assigned to participants in a crossover design, so participants and researchers will be blinded to the order of the two fitting protocols. Participants will then have a 4-week period with follow-up appointments for participant-directed gain adjustment. For each fitting protocol, participants will complete objective measurements of final hearing aid output with REMs, speech-in-noise testing, subjective measurements of hearing aid performance, and quality of life measurements. They will then begin an identical period of living with, adjusting, and objective assessment with the other fitting protocol. Data will be analysed as repeated measures with statistical control for potential confounding variables.ResultsData will compare the four-frequency average real-ear aided response (4FREAR) for hearing aids programmed in-clinic and hearing aids programmed remotely, after participant-directed gain adjustments. Secondary measures will assess clinically significant differences in estimated speech intelligibility, hearing-related quality of life, hearing aid benefit, sound quality and preference, and speech-in-noise ability.ConclusionsThis study will inform the development of best practice guidelines for remote hearing aid fittings. If no clinically significant differences are found between in-clinic and remote fit hearing aids, it has the potential to expand teleaudiology initiatives.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry, ACTRN12623000028606p. Date of registration: 12 January 2023.

Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Challenge the Core Values of Traditional Audiology.

Regulatory changes in the United States introduced over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids with the goal of increasing the accessibility and affordability of hearing health care. It is critical to understand the values inherent to hearing health care systems to evaluate their effectiveness in serving people with hearing difficulty. In this study, we evaluated the relative importance of values across service delivery models and the extent to which the introduction of OTC hearing aids represents a values shift relative to traditional audiology. We performed a qualitative content analysis of two document categories: critique documents that motivated the creation of OTC hearing aids and regulatory documents that defined OTC hearing aids. Team members coded portions of text for the values they expressed. In total, 29,235 words were coded across 72 pages in four documents. Rank-order analyses were performed to determine the prioritization of values within each category of documents and subsequently compare values between OTC and traditional audiology documents analyzed in a previous study. Critique and regulatory documents both prioritized values related to reducing barriers to hearing aid access and use, but the lack of a significant correlation in the rank order of values in these documents was evidence of inconsistency between the motivation and implementation of OTC hearing aids. Differences in the rank order of values in the OTC documents compared to traditional audiology were consistent with a values shift. The introduction of OTC as a solution to low hearing aid use represents a values shift, challenging the values of traditional audiology. This research demonstrates a need to establish the values of hearing health care service delivery through a consensus of stakeholders, including individuals from diverse backgrounds underserved by the traditional model.

Manutenção do conhecimento adquirido por agentes comunitários de saúde sobre temáticas relacionadas à saúde auditiva: Uma proposta na modalidade remota

ABSTRACT Purpose: to measure the maintenance of knowledge acquired by community health workers about hearing health and check whether it was associated with their age group, education level, and length of service. Methods: an experimental study, in which 30 community health workers participated in four remote meetings. In the first one, data were collected on their age, education level, and length of service. The second and third meetings had educational actions on 1) hearing, 2) hearing health and impairment, 3) organization of Hearing Healthcare Services, 4) hearing aid use and hygiene, and 5) the importance of follow-up visits; also, the immediate post-training quiz was applied. The late post-training quiz was administered in the fourth meeting. Each quiz had 10 problem situations. Knowledge maintenance was measured by comparing the scores of correct answers. Moreover, the participants’ performances were associated with the variables. The data underwent McNemar, Binomial, and Fisher's exact statistical tests, setting the significance level at 5%. Results: there was no difference in correct answers between the quizzes and knowledge maintenance was not related to the variables. Conclusion: the community health workers maintained the acquired knowledge for months after the educational actions, regardless of their age group, education level, or length of service.

Analysis of Accessibility and Affordability of Hearing Healthcare Services in Iganga District

Analysis of Accessibility and Affordability of Hearing Healthcare Services in Iganga District

Hearing Loss Prevalence, Years Lived With Disability, and Hearing Aid Use in the United States From 1990 to 2019: Findings From the Global Burden of Disease Study.

This article describes key data sources and methods used to estimate hearing loss in the United States, in the Global Burden of Disease study. Then, trends in hearing loss are described for 2019, including temporal trends from 1990 to 2019, changing prevalence over age, severity patterns, and utilization of hearing aids. We utilized population-representative surveys from the United States to estimate hearing loss prevalence for the Global Burden of Disease study. A key input data source in modeled estimates are the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), years 1988 to 2010. We ran hierarchical severity-specific models to estimate hearing loss prevalence. We then scaled severity-specific models to sum to total hearing impairment prevalence, adjusted estimates for hearing aid coverage, and split estimates by etiology and tinnitus status. We computed years lived with disability (YLDs), which quantifies the amount of health loss associated with a condition depending on severity and creates a common metric to compare the burden of disparate diseases. This was done by multiplying the prevalence of severity-specific hearing loss by corresponding disability weights, with additional weighting for tinnitus comorbidity. An estimated 72.88 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI) 68.53 to 77.30) people in the United States had hearing loss in 2019, accounting for 22.2% (20.9 to 23.6) of the total population. Hearing loss was responsible for 2.24 million (1.56 to 3.11) YLDs (3.6% (2.8 to 4.7) of total US YLDs). Age-standardized prevalence was higher in males (17.7% [16.7 to 18.8]) compared with females (11.9%, [11.2 to 12.5]). While most cases of hearing loss were mild (64.3%, 95% UI 61.0 to 67.6), disability was concentrated in cases that were moderate or more severe. The all-age prevalence of hearing loss in the United States was 28.1% (25.7 to 30.8) higher in 2019 than in 1990, despite stable age-standardized prevalence. An estimated 9.7% (8.6 to 11.0) of individuals with mild to profound hearing loss utilized a hearing aid, while 32.5% (31.9 to 33.2) of individuals with hearing loss experienced tinnitus. Occupational noise exposure was responsible for 11.2% (10.2 to 12.4) of hearing loss YLDs. Results indicate large burden of hearing loss in the United States, with an estimated 1 in 5 people experiencing this condition. While many cases of hearing loss in the United States were mild, growing prevalence, low usage of hearing aids, and aging populations indicate the rising impact of this condition in future years and the increasing importance of domestic access to hearing healthcare services. Large-scale audiometric surveys such as NHANES are needed to regularly assess hearing loss burden and access to healthcare, improving our understanding of who is impacted by hearing loss and what groups are most amenable to intervention.

Effect of Determinants of Health on the Hearing Care Framework: An Economic Perspective.

Hearing care is expanding accessibility to consumers through new service delivery channels and methods of technology distribution (see Brice et al, this issue). This diversification has the potential to overcome longstanding consumer disparities (e.g., health, socioeconomic, psychological, environmental) in receiving care and provider constraints (e.g., accessibility, geography, direct access) to delivering care that adversely impacts quality of life (e.g., social isolation, depression, anxiety, self-esteem). In this article, the reader is provided with an overview of health outcomes factors (i.e., determinants of health)-in the context of an economic framework (i.e., supply, demand)-and their effect on consumer behavior and provider preferences toward hearing healthcare services. This overview also affords readers with strategic business insights to assess and integrate future hearing care services and technology to consumers in their local markets.

Programmatic Approach to Hearing Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Programmatic Approach to Hearing Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Community Perspectives on Hearing Loss in Rural Alaska.

The aim of this study is to present an explanatory model of hearing loss in the Bering Strait region of Alaska in order to contextualize the results of a cluster randomized trial and propose implications for regional hearing-related health care. To promote ecological validity, or the generalizability of trial findings to real world experiences, qualitative methods (focus groups and interviews) were used within a mixed methods cluster randomized trial evaluating school hearing screening and follow-up processes in 15 communities in the Bering Strait region of Alaska. Focus groups were held between April and August 2017, and semistructured interviews were conducted between December 2018 and August 2019. Convenience sampling was used for six of the 11 focus groups to capture broad community feedback. Purposive sampling was used for the remaining five focus groups and for all interviews to capture a variety of experiences with hearing loss. Audio recordings of focus groups and interviews were transcribed, and both notes and transcripts were deidentified. All notes and transcripts were included in the analysis. The constant comparative method was used to develop a codebook by iteratively moving between transcripts and preliminary themes. Researchers then used this codebook to code data from all focus groups and interviews using qualitative analysis software (NVIVO 12, QSR International) and conducted thematic analyses to distill the findings presented in this article. Participants in focus groups (n = 116) and interviews (n = 101) shared perspectives in three domains: etiology, impact, and treatment of hearing loss. Regarding etiology, participants emphasized noise-induced hearing loss but also discussed infection-related hearing loss and various causes of ear infections. Participants described the impact of hearing loss on subsistence activities, while also detailing social, academic, and economic consequences. Participants described burdensome treatment pathways that are repetitive and often travel and time intensive. Communication breakdowns within these pathways were also described. Some participants spoke positively of increased access via onsite hearing health care services in "field clinics" as well as via telemedicine services. Others described weaknesses in these processes (infrequent field clinics and communication delays in telemedicine care pathways). Participants also described home remedies and stigma surrounding the treatment for hearing loss. Patient-centered health care requires an understanding of context. Explanatory models of illness are context-specific ways in which patients and their networks perceive and describe the experience of an illness or disability. In this study, we documented explanatory models of hearing loss to foster ecological validity and better understand the relevance of research findings to real-life hearing-related experiences. These findings suggest several areas that should be addressed in future implementation of hearing health care interventions elsewhere in rural Alaska, including management of repetitious treatments, awareness of infection-mediated hearing loss, mistrust, and communication breakdowns. For hearing-related health care in this region, these findings suggest localized recommendations for approaches for prevention and treatment. For community-based hearing research, this study offers an example of how qualitative methods can be used to generate ecologically valid (i.e., contextually grounded) findings.

Real-time measurement of ambient noise levels during hearing screening in point-of-care settings

Access to hearing healthcare is a global issue that will necessitate several novel approaches to resolve. By evaluating the effectiveness of a hearing screening program in a non-traditional, acoustically hostile point-of-care setting, this study contributes to the global need for access to hearing healthcare. Specifically, this study measured the noise environment of a hearing screening conducted at the Minnesota State Fair, using a Sivantos Dosimeter and a custom Tabsint program, to measure ambient noise levels during hearing screenings using the Creare Wireless Automatic Hearing Testing System (WAHTS). The noise levels were measured and analyzed to determine the average and peak noise levels encountered during the hearing screenings. Normal hearing thresholds were obtained at ambient noise levels ranging from 40 to 65 dBSPL. These findings were compared to the recommended noise levels for hearing testing to determine whether current standards should be revised considering innovations aimed at improving access to hearing healthcare services in point-of-care settings.

Core Values in the Traditional Provision of Hearing Health Care.

Untreated hearing loss is a significant public health issue affecting the quality of life of millions of Americans. Barriers to treatment invite novel and innovation solutions, but as these solutions create new treatment delivery models, they also may-purposefully or accidentally-challenge the values of the field. Value-sensitive design methodology is used in this study to identify the values in current hearing health care service delivery. We performed qualitative content analysis of questionnaires, clinical practice guidelines, and professional ethics documents that represent the intended and enacted values in audiology. The result is a comprehensive list of values that can be used as a structured codebook for systematic textual analysis of materials representing current best practices in the provision of hearing health care services. A secondary result is an analysis of the relative importance of values in audiology, inferred from the frequency of references to each value. Subjective benefit, professional duties, and self-efficacy were the core values identified in the current provision of audiologic care, and these values should be central to considerations for new hearing health care models and technologies.

Tele-audiology diagnostic testing services for children with disabilities in a school setting: A pilot study.

Children with disabilities (CWDs) having comorbidities face challenges in accessing and completing diagnostic hearing evaluations. This study was conducted to determine whether a tele-audiology diagnostic test battery can be administered to school-aged CWDs having comorbidities in a school-setting. A proof-of-concept pilot study using a cross-sectional design. Ten typically developing children between 3 years 9 months and 10 years 9 months of age; mean age of 8 years 3 months (pilot-norm group) and seven CWDs having comorbidities between 3 years and 8 years and 1 month of age; mean age of 5 years and 2 months (CWD group) participated in the study. A diagnostic test protocol delivered via tele-audiology was first administered to the pilot-norm group to ensure its efficiency and suitability for use in the CWD group. Following modifications, the diagnostic test protocol was delivered for CWDs. We identified key aspects, including the role of the facilitator in conducting a diagnostic test battery using tele-audiology on CWDs, the usefulness of having co-facilitators to support child-friendly testing, as well as technology-related requirements. With respect to tele-audiology diagnostic testing, it was possible to quickly assess peripheral hearing using synchronous tele video-otoscopy, tympanometry, and DPOAEs. We identified limitations in conducting behavioral audiometry and completing tone-burst ABRs in CWDs. Evidence was obtained from this exploratory pilot study that a tele-audiology diagnostic test battery can be administered in a school setting to school-aged CWDs having comorbidities. Tele-audiology can be considered to provide hearing healthcare services to school-aged CWDs who may otherwise not receive these services.

Significant Hearing Loss Found in Ukrainian Refugees

Significant Hearing Loss Found in Ukrainian Refugees

Hearing Aid User Perspectives: Reasons and Recommendations for Prescription and Over-The-Counter Device Uptake

Hearing Aid User Perspectives: Reasons and Recommendations for Prescription and Over-The-Counter Device Uptake

AUTOMATED HEARING ASSESSMENT: OUR EXPERIENCE

The possibilities of hardware complex and its application to test the auditory function in children and adolescents were studied. We also determined the diagnostic value of various solutions for hearing testing (relationship with the results of the clinical test of pure tone audiometry). Examined group of children and adolescents included 70 people. A comparison of the results of hearing testing using via software and hardware complex and the Hearing Test application were carried out. The studied screening methods have been focused on the possibility of audiological evaluation without visiting hearing health care services.