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International Journal of Audiology Feb 2019To conduct a systematic review of the evidence in relation to what hearing healthcare professionals do during hearing aid consultations and identifying which behaviours...
OBJECTIVE
To conduct a systematic review of the evidence in relation to what hearing healthcare professionals do during hearing aid consultations and identifying which behaviours promote hearing aid use and benefit among adult patients.
DESIGN
Searches were performed in electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar. The Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool and Melnyk Levels of Evidence were used to assess quality and level of evidence of eligible studies. Behaviours of hearing healthcare professionals were summarised descriptively.
STUDY SAMPLE
17 studies met the inclusion criteria.
RESULTS
Twelve studies described behaviours of audiologists and five studies were intervention studies. Audiologists were typically task- or technically-oriented and/or dominated the interaction during hearing aid consultations. Two intervention studies suggested that use of motivational interviewing techniques by audiologists may increase hearing aid use in patients.
CONCLUSIONS
Most studies of clinicians' behaviours were descriptive, with very little research linking clinician behaviour to patient outcomes. The present review sets the research agenda for better-controlled intervention studies to identify which clinician behaviours better promote patient hearing aid outcomes and develop an evidence base for best clinical practice.
Topics: Attitude of Health Personnel; Audiologists; Correction of Hearing Impairment; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Hearing Aids; Humans; Motivational Interviewing; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Patient Education as Topic; Persons With Hearing Impairments
PubMed: 30646766
DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2018.1531154 -
International Journal of Audiology Apr 2019It is estimated that over 60% of adults with dementia will also have a hearing impairment, resulting in a dual sensory-cognitive communication disability. Hearing...
OBJECTIVE
It is estimated that over 60% of adults with dementia will also have a hearing impairment, resulting in a dual sensory-cognitive communication disability. Hearing interventions may lessen the impact of hearing impairment on a communication disability; yet, for audiologists to recommend appropriate hearing interventions, the individual's hearing thresholds must first be accurately established. The gold standard test for establishing hearing thresholds is pure-tone audiometry (PTA). However, the ability of adults with dementia to successfully complete PTA is uncertain. This systematic review examined studies of adults with dementia to better determine the proportion who could complete PTA.
DESIGN
Systematic review.
STUDY SAMPLE
Studies were included that assessed hearing in older adults who were reported as having mild and greater dementia. From a total of 1,237 eligible studies, only three were found to meet all inclusion criteria.
RESULTS
Across these three studies, the proportion of adults with dementia who could successfully complete PTA ranged from 56% to 59%.
CONCLUSIONS
Further research is needed in this area, particularly for adults with moderate and severe stages of dementia. Future research should also consider the feasibility of complementary, non-behavioural hearing tests. This systematic review was registered with the PROSPERO database, registration number CRD42017073041.
Topics: Aged; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Auditory Threshold; Dementia; Hearing; Hearing Loss; Humans; Patient Compliance; Persons With Hearing Impairments; Predictive Value of Tests; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 30663914
DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2018.1550687 -
The South African Journal of... Mar 2020Literature suggests that risk factors for middle ear pathologies, such as traumatic injuries and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), exist in mines. However, studies on...
BACKGROUND
Literature suggests that risk factors for middle ear pathologies, such as traumatic injuries and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), exist in mines. However, studies on hearing health in mines seem to focus primarily on occupational noise-induced hearing loss and ignore middle ear pathologies. As a result, there is little documented evidence on the trends of middle ear pathologies in mine workers.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to explore and document published evidence reflecting trends in middle ear pathologies in mine workers.
METHOD
A systematic literature review of studies that reported middle ear pathologies in mine workers was conducted. Medline, CINAHL, PubMed, PsychInfo and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies in English published between January 1994 and December 2018 and reporting on trends in middle ear pathologies in mine workers.
RESULTS
Two research studies met the selection criteria and were included for analysis. One research study used tympanometry with 226 Hz probe tone, while another study used interviews to determine the presence of middle ear pathologies. While these studies indicate that middle ear pathologies exist in individuals working in mines, the evidence is limited.
CONCLUSION
While current data indicate that individuals working in mines may present with middle ear pathologies of varying severities, the evidence is too small to provide a clear trend of middle ear pathologies in individuals working in mines. Therefore, the current limited data suggest a need for further studies to examine middle ear pathologies in individuals working in mines.
Topics: Acoustic Impedance Tests; Ear, Middle; Hearing Loss; Humans; Miners
PubMed: 32242444
DOI: 10.4102/sajcd.v67i2.679 -
Ear and HearingChronic substance misuse is an ongoing and significant public health concern. Among a myriad of health complications that can occur, substance misuse potentially causes...
BACKGROUND
Chronic substance misuse is an ongoing and significant public health concern. Among a myriad of health complications that can occur, substance misuse potentially causes ototoxic effects. Case reports, retrospective chart data, and a few cohort studies suggest that certain prescription opioids and illicit drugs can have either temporary or permanent effects on auditory and/or vestibular function. Given the steady rise of people with a substance-use disorder (SUD), it is of growing importance that audiologists and otolaryngologists have an insight into the potential ototoxic effects of substance misuse.
OBJECTIVES
A systematic review was conducted to (1) synthesize the literature on the illicit drugs, prescription opioids, and alcohol misuse on the auditory and vestibular systems, (2) highlight common hearing and vestibular impairments for each substance class, and (3) discuss the limitations of the literature, the potential mechanisms, and clinical implications for clinicians who may encounter patients with hearing or vestibular loss related to substance misuse, and describe opportunities for further study.
DESIGN
Systematic searches were performed via PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, and the final updated search was conducted through March 30, 2022. Inclusion criteria included peer-reviewed articles, regardless of study design, from inception until the present that included adults with chronic substance misuse and hearing and/or vestibular complaints. Articles that focused on the acute effects of substances in healthy people, ototoxicity from already known ototoxic medications, the relationship between hearing loss and development of a SUD, articles not available in English, animal work, and duplicates were excluded. Information on the population (adults), outcomes (hearing and/or vestibular data results), and study design (e.g., case report, cohort) were extracted. A meta-analysis could not be performed because more than 60% of the studies were single-case reports or small cohort.
RESULTS
The full text of 67 studies that met the eligibility criteria were selected for the review. Overall, 21 studies reported associations between HL/VL related to illicit drug misuse, 28 studies reported HL/VL from prescription opioids, and 20 studies reported HL/VL related to chronic alcohol misuse (2 studies spanned more than one category). Synthesis of the findings suggested that the misuse and/or overdose of amphetamines and cocaine was associated with sudden, bilateral, and temporary HL, whereas HL from the combination of a stimulant and an opioid often presented with greater HL in the mid-frequency range. Reports of temporary vertigo or imbalance were mainly associated with illicit drugs. HL associated with misuse of prescription opioids was typically sudden or rapidly progressive, bilateral, moderately severe to profound, and in almost all cases permanent. The misuse of prescription opioids occasionally resulted in peripheral VL, especially when the opioid misuse was long term. Chronic alcohol misuse tended to associate with high-frequency sudden or progressive sensorineural hearing loss, or retrocochlear dysfunction, and a high occurrence of central vestibular dysfunction and imbalance.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, chronic substance misuse associates with potential ototoxic effects, resulting in temporary or permanent hearing and/or vestibular dysfunction. However, there are notable limitations to the evidence from the extant literature including a lack of objective test measures used to describe hearing or vestibular effects associated with substance misuse, small study sample sizes, reliance on case studies, lack of controlling for confounders related to health, age, sex, and other substance-use factors. Future large-scale studies with prospective study designs are needed to further ascertain the role and risk factors of substance misuse on auditory and vestibular function and to further clinical management practices.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Retrospective Studies; Prospective Studies; Alcoholism; Substance-Related Disorders; Analgesics, Opioid; Illicit Drugs
PubMed: 37784231
DOI: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001425