Development of a public audiology service in Southern Malawi: profile of patients across two years

Abstract

Objective: To describe the profile of patients attending the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) audiology clinic in Malawi, over a two-year period (2016)(2017). Design: A retrospective patient record review.Study sample: There were 2299 patients assessed at the QECH audiology department between January 2016 to December 2017. Adult patients' ages ranged from 18 to 94 years (M = 45.8, SD = 19.22). The mean age of children included in this study was 7.7 years(SD= 5.21). Overall, 45.4% of patients were female.Results: Of the 61.6% of adults and 41.7% of children found to have some degree of hearing loss, 28.3% and 15.4% were fitted with hearing aids, respectively. The number of patients seen in 2017 (n=1385) was 34% higher than that of 2016 (n=914).Conclusion: This study found that demand for hearing services is increasing in this Malawian Audiology department but uptake of hearing aids for those in need is low. Future evaluation of service provision and treatment outcomes is needed. Results from this study can be used to inform the development of future audiology clinics in low resource settings.

Comparing outcomes of ultra-low-cost hearing aids to programmable, refurbished hearing aids for adults with high frequency hearing loss in Malawi: A feasibility study

“…The results, from this Malawian population, found that the LoCHAid and the refurbished programmed hearing aids were similarly beneficial for people with high frequency hearing loss but that some improvements are required to improve the LoCHAid sound quality and user experience. Low hearing aid uptake or hearing aid availability in Sub Saharan Africa has been noted in the literature (Hlayisi & Ramma, 2019;Parmar et al, 2021). Furthermore, many countries rely on hearing aid donations from non-governmental organisations (Seelman & Werner, 2014;Thiga et al, 2022).…”

“…Low hearing aid uptake or hearing aid availability in Sub Saharan Africa has been noted in the literature (Hlayisi & Ramma, 2019; Parmar et al, 2021). Furthermore, many countries rely on hearing aid donations from non-governmental organisations (Seelman & Werner, 2014; Thiga et al, 2022).…”

“…Hearing aids are not routinely provided by the Malawian Ministry of Health. Instead, the country relies on donated hearing aids provided by charitable organisations (Parmar et al, 2021). Despite donated hearing aids being available in cities including Lilongwe and Blantyre, much of Malawi's ear and hearing care needs are underserved.…”

“…Another barrier to uptake is that digital hearing aids mainly function by using a battery which is not locally available. A retrospective study to understand the profile of patients attending the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital Audiology department, Blantyre, Malawi found that demand for hearing healthcare services is growing in Malawi, but hearing aid uptake is low (Parmar et al, 2021). Of the 2,299 patients seen over a two-year period, 61% of adults were found to have some degree of hearing loss, but only 28% were fitted with refurbished hearing aids.…”

Impacts and Identification of Hearing Aid Refurbishing Programs for People with Hearing Loss: A Scoping Review

“…(4) Only behind-the-ear (BTE) HAs are refurbished; in-the-ear (ITE) HAs are only used for spare parts. Parmar et al [ 52 ] UK, Malawi Descriptive, Cross sectional, Retrospective Not mentioned 2299 patients, 1521 adults (age: M = 45.8, SD = 19.2) and 778 children (age: M = 7.7, SD = 5.2) Description of an audiology clinic in Malawi, developed with the help of Sound Seekers, now Deaf Kidz International. Refurbished HAs come from a Zambia lab.…”