Bhamjee Aaqilah, le Roux Talita, Schlemmer Kurt, Graham Marien Alet, Mahomed-Asmail Faheema
Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Department of ENT Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kwazulu Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Health Serv Insights. 2022 Nov 10;15:11786329221135424. doi: 10.1177/11786329221135424. eCollection 2022.
Hearing loss poses a significant burden globally. Its prevalence is exceptionally high in countries across the African region, where healthcare resources and services remain inaccessible. This study aimed to describe audiologists' perceptions regarding hearing healthcare resources and services within South Africa's public healthcare system.
A national self-developed telephonic survey was conducted with audiologists in public healthcare system hospitals across South Africa, with the final sample comprising 100 audiologists.
Most (82%) audiologists indicated that their hospitals did not have adequate hearing healthcare resources to render efficient audiology services to patients. Binaural amplification devices (invasive and non-invasive) for adults with bilateral hearing loss who adhered to the criteria for these devices were perceived to be unavailable in most hospitals. Audiologists also perceived that universal newborn hearing screening services, adult aural rehabilitation services, and follow-up care for all hearing devices post-warranty expiration were limited.
Efforts should be made to upsurge hearing healthcare resources, including increasing the financial budgets allocated to audiology resources so that increased diagnostic and screening audiology equipment and hearing devices can be procured where required, and additional audiologists can be employed within the South African public sector hospitals where needed.
听力损失在全球造成了重大负担。在非洲地区的各个国家，其患病率极高，而这些国家的医疗资源和服务仍然难以获得。本研究旨在描述听力学家对南非公共医疗系统中听力保健资源和服务的看法。
对南非公共医疗系统医院的听力学家进行了一项全国性的自行开发的电话调查，最终样本包括100名听力学家。
大多数（82%）听力学家表示，他们所在的医院没有足够的听力保健资源为患者提供高效的听力服务。大多数医院认为，符合这些设备标准的双侧听力损失成人的双耳放大设备（有创和无创）无法提供。听力学家还认为，普遍的新生儿听力筛查服务、成人听力康复服务以及所有听力设备在保修期到期后的后续护理都很有限。
应努力增加听力保健资源，包括增加分配给听力资源的财政预算，以便在需要时采购更多的诊断和筛查听力设备及听力装置，并在南非公立医院根据需要聘用更多的听力学家。
