Some people build walls when the winds of change blow, while others build turbines. This old Chinese saying has become especially relevant in the last few years.
We now have to reconsider our lifestyle, work, and global interactions due to the worldwide epidemic. But there’s still a lot to learn about our collective new normal, and audiology is no different.
Many of the previously ordinary parts of our workday, like giving frequent patient checkups, follow-ups, and urgent hearing care, were taken for granted. But as diagnosing hearing loss and providing intervention became more difficult, many audiologists made an adjustment and started constructing windmills instead of walls.
History
There has long been a history of teleaudiology prior to the pandemic. Dr. Gregg Givens is credited with coining the term “teleaudiology” in 1999 to describe a system that East Carolina University was developing. Not too long after, in 2000, Dr. Givens and his colleagues finished the first audiological test ever delivered over the Internet. Dr. James Hall conducted the initial transatlantic remote teleaudiology evaluation in 2009 for a patient in South Africa during the annual American Academy of Audiology conference in Dallas, Texas, thanks to his research and testing.
The field of teleaudiology has seen steady growth in applications such as pediatric audiology, cochlear implants (CIs), rehabilitation, newborn hearing assessment, and hearing aids (HAs).
Teleaudiology has shown to be a successful method of bridging the divide among clients and hearing healthcare providers, even in situations where there is a significant geographical separation. Additionally, teleaudiology is becoming more widely used as a usual form of care due to advancements in computer technology and Internet connectivity, as well as the unexpected need for distant hearing assessments during the pandemic.
What is Teleaudiology?
Teleaudiology, to put it simply, is the practice of providing audiology services remotely. With teleaudiology, patients can receive audiological services outside of a traditional hospital or clinic without having to physically meet with the audiologist. Rather, communication tools powered by the Internet are used to deliver both the interaction and the exchange of information.
The strategies used in teleaudiology can differ greatly; they can be as basic as a website-based virtual hearing test or as complex as a remote appointment with tele-audiological equipment that provides the clinician with a high degree of clinical accuracy. The benefits of remote hearing healthcare are numerous and include tinnitus counseling classes, aural rehabilitation, and remote diagnostic hearing evaluation. This delivery model is very beneficial.
Asynchronous and synchronous are the two main teleaudiology delivery modalities.
Teleaudiology in Asynchronous Mode
The results of audiological tests are recorded, stored, and sent to a hearing-related specialist for additional interpretation and any necessary follow-up. Real-time communication is not necessary for asynchronous teleaudiology; instead, email is usually used for communication between the patient and the qualified technician. In order to collect all the information that will be forwarded to an audiologist for comprehension, suggestions, and further actions, the patient works with a certified hearing technician.
Synchronous Teleaudiology
For remote hearing care, synchronous teleaudiology is more like a traditional appointment and is used by doctors who prefer real-time interaction with patients. The audiology assistant or technician who is present on-site with the patient is controlled remotely by the hearing care professional through the use of two-way video conferencing technology. To enable the remote appointment, the qualified technician can carry out the procedure of o, headphone assignment, and other tests as needed by the audiologist. Numerous hearing-related issues, such as audiometry, counseling, and fittings for hearing aids, can be handled by this type of teleaudiology.
Growing demand for patient-led synchronous teleaudiology during the pandemic was a result of the need for social distancing. With an adapted home model, the patient can manage the testing process by using teleaudiology machinery that is delivered to their house and having video conferences with a hearing care specialist. Combining synchronous and asynchronous teleaudiology techniques can help a clinician better meet the needs of both themselves and their patients.
Understanding the Need for Teleaudiology
Teleaudiology has a broad, worldwide influence. Regretfully, the need for hearing medical care is rising faster than the supply of audiologists and specialists in hearing aids. Because they reside in areas of the world where there is a dearth of audiologists and other hearing care professionals, nearly 80% of people with hearing impairments do not have a choice of hearing care services. In the developing world, the lack of options for hearing care is especially common. Due to an excess of demand for audiological services over supply, the lack of adequate audiological care additionally impacts people in America.
The issue is exacerbated by the fact that our elderly population continues to increase, which leads to delays in this age group’s timely and easy access to healthcare and bottlenecks in the field of hearing healthcare.
A 2013 study by Windmill & Theodore Freeman found that in order to meet the demand for hearing healthcare in the United States, there will need to be an immediate 50% increase in the number of individuals going into the audiology field and a 20% reduction in attrition rates. Expanding the use of teleaudiology would improve the provision of audiological services and increase patient access.
While it comes to the delivery of patient care, teleaudiology eliminates the barrier of distance. Furthermore, hiring seasoned hearing specialists from across the region is easier to handle than from a talent pool that is constrained by commute times.
A 2019 study published in the International Journal of Public Health looked at the differences in care between rural and urban areas in the United States. The timing of therapy and diagnosis was contrasted between the two areas for 40 infants born severely born with sensory loss. At an average age of 47.7 months after birth, the children from rural areas received amplification, whereas the children from urban areas received it at 26 weeks.Furthermore, children born in the countryside experienced cochlear implantation at 182 weeks following birth, whereas children born in urban areas only had to wait 104 weeks 4.
Regretfully, the results of the previously mentioned study are not unique to pediatric patients in America. According to the US Census from 2000, 20% of Americans live in rural regions 5 and are frequently far from hearing healthcare facilities.
It is difficult for people of all ages in America and around the world to get the essential hearing care they need and deserve. A cutting-edge, clinically validated method to bridge the gap between towns and villages, adults and kids, and all in between is teleaudiology.
Advantages of Teleaudiology
Teleaudiology has the potential to lessen the obstacles that patients and healthcare providers face. Teleaudiology allows patients to have access to more extensive care by reducing travel distances, appointment wait times, and making it possible for them to receive hearing care that they might not have otherwise been able to. Teleaudiology can increase provider efficiency by enabling audiologists to test remotely, freeing them from the physical confines of a clinic to better manage their schedules and provide care from anywhere.
There are many benefits to virtual remote audiology, and clinician adoption of teleaudiology is imperative because:
- It is required. The fact of the matter is that there are not enough hearing healthcare professionals to provide the necessary care for an increasing number of people. Not every patient has access to a car or the necessary means of transportation.
- Teleaudiology is a convenient modality that benefits both the individual receiving treatment and the provider. The elimination of long-distance travel for appointment interactions saves time.
By offering patients more scheduling flexibility and increased access to care—especially for those who live in remote areas—teleaudiology empowers individuals to take greater accountability for their hearing health. Ensuring optimal hearing care for all requires providing care that is both accessible and convenient.
Teleaudiology is Effective
A recent study comparing the precision of online digital hearing tests to traditional audiometric equipment has appeared in the International Association of Audiology. A total of forty-one participants finished their audiometric testing with traditional in-person audiometry, and the results were compared with cloud-based remote audiometry obtained the same day. Each participant had both ears tested, and the tests were chosen at random. The study found that, for both air conduction through bone thresholds, the mean difference remained within 5 dB HL at all testing frequencies, indicating that online hearing tests testing was just as precise as traditional audiometry.
Conclusion
The use of teleaudiology has several advantages. More accessibility to care is among the biggest benefits. Millions of people who do not currently have access to hearing care in urban as well as rural locations can now get it thanks to teleaudiology. Furthermore, by cutting down on travel time, teleaudiology has been shown to increase the affordability and efficiency of hearing care options. It also makes testing more accessible to individuals with mobility impairments. Additionally, teleaudiology has shown to be reliable, accurate, and safe.One of the most important elements in determining the effectiveness of online medical care as a form of care has always been patient and clinician acceptance. The COVID-19 pandemic improved acceptance of teleaudiology and raised its profile among patients and getting care providers. Teleaudiology is in this instance to stay, so instead of erecting walls, let’s build windmills.