UCL Ear Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Department of Vision and Hearing Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Int J Audiol. 2022 Mar;61(3):228-238. doi: 10.1080/14992027.2021.1921292. Epub 2021 May 19.
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.
A mixed-methods cross-sectional survey study design. Responses to the structured questionnaire were analysed using descriptive and non-parametric statistics.
UK based hearing care professionals (HCP) ( = 323) completed the survey (218 public sector; 89 private sector).
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.
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.
（i）确定 COVID-19 对英国各个领域提供听力学服务的影响；（ii）比较在限制措施引入前后私人和公共部门的远程听力学服务提供情况；（iii）确定两个部门中英国听力保健专业人员在远程听力学服务提供方面的障碍。
混合方法的横断面调查研究设计。使用描述性和非参数统计方法对结构化问卷的回答进行分析。
英国听力保健专业人员（HCP）（ = 323）完成了调查（218 名公共部门；89 名私营部门）。
不同部门的工作模式变化差异很大，61%的国家受雇者和 26%的独立 HCP 被休假，而公共部门只有 1%。尽管 92%的公共部门和 75%的私营部门的 HCP 表示他们能够舒适地进行远程咨询，但远程医疗的使用在英国听力保健的所有部门和群体中都未得到充分利用。
本研究强调了英国不同部门之间远程听力学采用和关键障碍的差异。需要制造商、研究中心、HCP 和专业机构之间的协作方法，根据部门制定有针对性的指导和培训材料，以支持临床医生有效提供远程听力学服务。
