ADULTOS; ACESSO AOS SERVIÇOS DE SAÚDE; ACESSO A TECNOLOGIAS EM SAÚDE
026
YONG, Michael et al. Access to adults’ hearing aids: policies and technologies used in eight countries. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Geneva, v. 97, n. 10, p. 699–710, Oct. 2019. Disponível em Organização Mundial da Saúde
As the proportion of older adults in the world’s total population continues to grow, the adverse health outcomes of age-related hearing loss are becoming increasingly recognized. While research has shown that age-related hearing loss is the single greatest modifiable risk factor for dementia, use of hearing aids remains low worldwide, even in many middle- and high-income countries. Reasons for poor uptake of hearing aids are likely to involve a combination of factors, ranging from increasing costs of hearing aid technology to a widespread lack of insurance coverage. This article aims to identify the current state of access to hearing aids, focusing on eight middle- and high-income countries. We discuss how to facilitate greater access to hearing aids for patients by addressing changes in how devices are regulated, technological advancements in hearing devices, the need to adjust reimbursement schemes and the importance of adaptation among the community workforce for hearing-care.
CAPACITAÇÃO DE RECURSOS HUMANOS EM SAÚDE; PESSOAL DE SAÚDE; ACESSO AOS SERVIÇOS DE SAÚDE
027
BHUTTA, Mahmood F.; BU, Xingkuan; CASTELLANOS DE MUÑOZ, Patricia; GARGD, Suneela; KONG, Kelvin. Training for hearing care providers. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Geneva, v. 97, n. 10, p. 691-698, Oct. 2019. Disponível em Organização Mundial da Saúde
The lack of an appropriately trained global hearing-care workforce is recognized as a barrier to developing and implementing services to treat ear and hearing disorders. In this article we examine some of the published literature on the current global workforce for ear and hearing care. We outline the status of both the primary-care workforce, including community health workers, and specialist services, including audiologists, ear, nose and throat specialists, speech and language therapists, and teachers of the deaf. We discuss models of training health workers in ear and hearing care, including the role of task-sharing and the challenges of training in low and middle-income countries. We structure the article by the components of ear and hearing care that may be delivered in isolation or in integrated models of care: primary care assessment and intervention; screening; hearing tests; hearing rehabilitation; middle-ear surgery; deaf services; and cochlear implant programmes. We highlight important knowledge gaps and areas for future research and reporting.
