Rabinowitz Peter, Taiwo Oyebode, Sircar Kanta, Aliyu Oluremi, Slade Martin
Yale Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06880, USA.
Am J Otolaryngol. 2006 Jan-Feb;27(1):18-23. doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2005.05.014.
Hearing is an important sense for physicians, making communication and stethoscope use possible, yet not much is known about the impact of hearing loss on professional function. The purpose of this study was to explore hearing-related issues affecting physicians.
We administered a hearing test and questionnaire to 107 physicians and medical students.
The proportion of physicians reporting trouble with their hearing increased with age, reaching almost 100% in those older than 60 years. Audiometric hearing loss also increased with age. Perceived hearing trouble was significantly associated with audiometric hearing loss, yet 46% of physicians with hearing loss described their hearing as good. Older physicians more frequently reported difficulty communicating with patients, staff, and colleagues owing to hearing problems (P = .007). Reported stethoscope difficulties did not significantly increase with age; there was no association with hearing thresholds. No physician reported use of electronic stethoscopes or hearing aids. Noise exposures were common, yet 51% of respondents never used hearing protection. Younger physicians were less likely to use protection (P = .002).
Physicians lose hearing with age but may not notice or report the loss. Physician hearing loss is associated with difficulty communicating with patients, staff, and colleagues. Neither age nor hearing level predicts problems with stethoscope use; possible explanations include a training effect or denial. Many physicians, especially younger ones, never use hearing protection around noise. Strategies to recognize and reduce the impact of hearing loss on professional function throughout a physician's career deserve greater attention.
听力对于医生来说是一项重要的感官功能，它使得交流和使用听诊器成为可能，但关于听力损失对职业功能的影响，我们所知甚少。本研究的目的是探讨影响医生的听力相关问题。
我们对107名医生和医学生进行了听力测试和问卷调查。
报告听力有问题的医生比例随年龄增长而增加，60岁以上的医生中这一比例几乎达到100%。听力测定的听力损失也随年龄增加。感觉到的听力问题与听力测定的听力损失显著相关，但46%有听力损失的医生称自己听力良好。年长的医生更频繁地报告由于听力问题在与患者、工作人员和同事交流时存在困难（P = 0.007）。报告的听诊器使用困难并未随年龄显著增加；与听力阈值也没有关联。没有医生报告使用过电子听诊器或助听器。噪声暴露很常见，但51%的受访者从未使用过听力保护装置。年轻医生使用保护装置的可能性较小（P = 0.002）。
医生的听力会随着年龄增长而下降，但他们可能没有注意到或报告这种听力损失。医生的听力损失与在与患者、工作人员和同事交流时存在困难有关。年龄和听力水平都不能预测听诊器使用方面的问题；可能的解释包括培训效果或否认心理。许多医生，尤其是年轻医生，在有噪声的环境中从不使用听力保护装置。在医生的整个职业生涯中，识别并减少听力损失对职业功能影响的策略值得更多关注。
