Teleaudiologia: comunicação profissional-paciente na programação e adaptação de aparelhos de amplificação sonora individuais via teleconsulta

Objective: To determine the attitudes of audiologists towards telehealth and use of telehealth for the delivery of ear and hearing services pre-, during-and post-the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify the perceived effects of telehealth on services and barriers to telehealth. Design: An online survey distributed through the International Society of Audiology and member societies. Study sample: A total of 337 audiologists completing the survey between 23 June and 13 August 2020. Results: There was a significant increase in the perceived importance of telehealth from before (44.3%) to during COVID-19 (87.1%), and the use of telehealth previous (41.3%), current (61.9%) and expected use of telehealth (80.4%). Telehealth was considered adequate for many audiology services, although hearing assessment and device fitting by telehealth received least support. Matters related to timeliness of services and reduction of travel were reported as the main advantages, but relationships between practitioners and clients may suffer with telehealth. Important barriers were technologies related to the client or remote site; clinic-related items were moderate barriers, although more clinician training was a common theme provided through open-ended responses. Conclusion:The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in audiologists having a more positive attitude towards and greater use of telehealth, but with some reservations.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

International survey of audiologists during the COVID-19 pandemic: use of and attitudes to telehealth

Eikelboom

Bennett

Manchaiah

et al. 2021

“…HA programming, counselling, and instructions) (reviewed in Tao et al 2018;Angley, Schnittker, and Tharpe 2017), comparison of these results is difficult. The closest studies of teleaudiology services have been those examining real ear measurements (Campos and Ferrari 2012;Pross, Bourne, and Cheung 2016), counselling programme Rubinstein 1994, 1995;Laplante-Levesque, Pichora-Fuller, and Gagne 2006;Lundberg, Andersson, and Lunner 2011;Thoren et al 2011;Thoren et al 2014), and of specific procedures performed by teleaudiology but in isolation from the other procedures (Tao et al 2018;Ferrari 2006;Ferrari and Bernardez-Braga 2009;Reginato and Ferrari 2014;Campos and Ferrari 2012;Pearce, Ching, and Dillon 2009;Penteado et al 2012Penteado et al , 2014Venail et al 2019). None of these were implementation studies or compared the outcomes of remote to face-to-face follow-up services, nor was there assistance of a trained facilitator.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teleaudiology hearing aid fitting follow-up consultations for adults: single blinded crossover randomised control trial and cohort studies

Tao

Moreira

Jayakody

et al. 2020

Objective: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness and quality of standard face-to-face and teleaudiology hearing aid fitting follow-up consultations and blended services for adult hearing aid users. Design and Study sample: Fifty-six participants were randomly allocated to two equal groups, with equal numbers of new and experienced users. One standard and one teleaudiology follow-up consultation were delivered by an audiologist, the latter assisted by a facilitator. The order was reversed for the second group. Outcome measurement tools were applied to assess aspects of participants' communication, fitting (physical, sensorial), quality of life, and service. Cross-sectional and longitudinal outcomes were analysed. Results: Most participants presented with moderate, sloping, and symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss. The duration of teleaudiology (42.96 ± 2.73 min) was equivalent to face-to-face consultations (41.25 ± 2.61 min). All modes of service delivery significantly improved outcomes for communication, fitting, and quality of life (p > 0.05). Satisfaction for both consultation modes was high, although significantly greater with standard consultations. The mode and order of delivery of the consultations did not influence the outcomes. Conclusion: Teleaudiology hearing aid follow-up consultations can deliver significant improvements, and do not differ from standard consultations. Blended services also deliver significant improvements. Satisfaction can be negatively impacted by technical or human-related issues.

“…Additionally, significant differences were observed between private and public sector services; respondents working in publicly funded settings tended to report more positive attitudes towards teleaudiology than those from private work settings. A study by Reginato and Ferrari (2014) found that despite some aspects of clinicianpatient communication being affected by teleaudiology delivery, patient satisfaction was not adversely impacted in comparison with in-person service delivery (Reginato and Ferrari 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of COVID-19 on provision of UK audiology services & on attitudes towards delivery of telehealth services

Parmar

Beukes

Rajasingam

2021

Objective: To (i) identify the impact of COVID-19 on provision of UK audiology services across sectors (ii) compare teleaudiology service provision between private and public sectors before and after the introduction of restrictions and (iii) identify barriers to teleaudiology delivery amongst UK hearing care professionals in both sectors. Design: A mixed-methods cross-sectional survey study design. Responses to the structured questionnaire were analysed using descriptive and non-parametric statistics. Study Sample: UK based hearing care professionals (HCP) (n ¼ 323) completed the survey (218 public sector; 89 private sector). Results: Changes in working patterns varied greatly between different sectors, with 61% of national employed and 26% of independent HCPs being furloughed, compared with 1% in the public sector. Use of telehealth was under-utilised across all sectors and groups in UK hearing healthcare, despite 92% of public and 75% of private HCPs reporting feeling comfortable conducting remote consultations. Conclusion:This study highlights a variation in teleaudiology adoption and key barriers across sector in the UK. A collaborative approach between hearing device manufacturers, research centres, HCPs and professional bodies is required for the creation of targeted guidance and training materials according to sector, to support clinicians in effective teleaudiology provision.