Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has led a variety of changes in healthcare delivery. Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as the use of face masks has become a new norm in daily life. While this has helped to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, challenges in social interaction and communication have been identified, especially in those with hearing impairment. This study aimed to identify some of the challenges faced by this COHORT and provided some practical solutions to support these patients.Methods: An observational study was conducted by inviting speech and language therapists (SALTs) to provide their observations on the implications of face masks for children with hearing impairment in Sligo university hospital, Ireland from August 2021 to September 2022. Thirty-three SALTs were invited to participate via the Irish association of speech and language therapists (IASLT) website.Results: Twenty-five responses were received. Common observations include distress amongst parents and children due to difficulties in communication, delays in accessing hearing-aid assessments and cochlear implantation referral and poor compliance with speech and language rehabilitation.Conclusions: This study identifies a number of challenges faced by children with hearing impairment during the current pandemic. A number of practical recommendations have been provided to alleviate and reduce the consequences of these.

Background: In many countries, the increased use of face masks and other face coverings has been adopted as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The world health organization has given guidance that encourages the use of face masks in public settings as well as in settings where it is not possible to observe physical distancing.Methods: This research project was carried out from August 2021 to November 2021 in the ENT Department of Sligo University Hospital. The 100 patients with hearing impairment were randomly sampled from patients seeking health care services in the ENT clinic. Patients with normal hearing were excluded from the study. Data was collected with the help of questionnaire. The collected data was pre-coded for entry in SPSS and analyzed.Results: The respondents comprised 55 females and 45 males. Majority (80%) of the respondents generally agreed that the use of face masks has a negative impact on communication and hearing, especially for patients with hearing impairment. The 60% of respondents agree that the use of clear masks may provide the option to lip-read. The 80% of respondents agree that the use of face masks has a negative impact on communication and 50% of respondents agree that poor communication is likely to result in patient dissatisfaction.Conclusions: It was evident that most hearing-impaired patients are aware of the importance of facial expression in communication and most rely heavily on lip reading in addition to other facial features.