Creating healthier communities starts with inclusive healthcare

Hearing testing – like any other critical health screening – should employ a methodology that’s most likely to capture the most accurate results from most patients. This kind of inclusive healthcare is critical to creating healthier communities around the world. But in order to truly be inclusive, it must be more than just accurate, it must be cost-effective, accessible, and easily scalable. It must also be created with inclusivity in mind. 

Traditional hearing testing isn’t designed for scalability

Traditional hearing testing is only available in a limited number of settings and generally requires the use of bulky, complicated testing equipment that can only be operated by a trained audiologist in a hospital or similar setting. As a result, this approach to hearing testing is often exclusionary: hospital-based testing isn’t convenient, nor is it accessible, and the cost itself can be high. The ripple effect of these limitations is that reliable hearing testing is simply not available to everyone who needs it, and otherwise preventable or manageable hearing loss is left untreated, leading to devastating personal and economic losses. 

The ripple effect of these limitations is that reliable hearing testing is simply not available to everyone who needs it, and otherwise preventable or manageable hearing loss is left untreated, leading to devastating personal and economic losses. 

And if you’re thinking that improvements in hearing testing may not be critical health care for communities, think again! In the UK alone, approximately 86% of people who have hearing loss are unaware of it. It’s difficult to list every reason why this is the case, but one major contributing factor is a lack of accessible hearing testing. And the people at the highest risk of developing hearing loss are some of society’s most vulnerable: in the UK, over 65% of adults aged 60 and over experience hearing loss to some degree. 

This relationship between hearing loss and age is critical, as we know that hearing loss impacts an individual’s risk of social isolation and negative health outcomes like cognitive decline, dementia, falls, depression, increased risk of hospitalisation, reduced career prospects and a general decline in overall physical, social, and mental health. These same issues already disproportionally impact older populations, so the additional impact of unmanaged hearing loss has the potential to be doubly devastating. 

But regardless of age, the fact that one-in-five people around the world suffer from hearing loss is a statistic that clearly signals the need for widespread changes in the way that the world tests for hearing loss. Critically, this change must accelerate adoption of preventative healthcare for hearing (i.e. hearing testing), as we know that early detection of hearing loss is crucial to effective management.

AUDIMETROID: A necessary evolution in ease of care and access to care

A modern testing paradigm is needed in order to make meaningful, positive change in the way the world approaches hearing testing. This modern methodology must be one that is purpose-built to be convenient, cost-effective, and scalable. AUDIMETROID was intentionally designed to facilitate an evolution in hearing testing. By creating a test that can be administered by a community healthcare provider without formal training in audiology, from virtually any safe, quiet location – and which also reduces the margin for missed or misdiagnosis to virtually zero – Hearing Diagnostics Limited has pioneered an approach to hearing testing that’s putting critical power and resources into communities, where providers can offer adequate care at reasonable costs to anyone who needs it.

Most importantly, AUDIMETROID is built to drive fast, easy adoption across communities.

Most importantly, AUDIMETROID is built to drive fast, easy adoption across communities. By using a spatial testing paradigm, AUDIMETROID accelerates adoption for primarily two reasons: 1) it can be used virtually anywhere that’s safe and quiet without a trained audiologist, and 2) it’s the most accurate way to test for hearing loss, which drives trust among community members. 

The ease of use of AUDIMETROID, especially compared with traditional hearing testing methodology, is obvious: with just a small box of kit, community health care providers can cost-effectively offer reliable hearing testing without formal training, and from virtually anywhere. This stands in stark contrast to hearing tests of the past (and present), which require a patient to visit a trained professional in a hospital or similar environment. This is problematic not only because of barriers to access to hospitals due to distance or cost, but also because trained audiologists are a scarcity and pulling these professionals away from more critical care scenarios to administer hearing tests is a poor use of precious resource.

Moreover, when it comes to developing a more inclusive approach to healthcare, trust-building is a critical factor to accelerate adoption. Not only does AUDIMETROID put the power for hearing testing into community healthcare providers, it’s an incredibly accurate technology that all but eliminates the risk for missed or misdiagnosis. By offering patients the most reliable, community-based care possible, AUDIMETROID is building trust with patients and their carers/families, and increasing the likelihood of wider-spread adoption, particularly among underserved communities where lack of trust and lack of access to healthcare are known barriers to adequate care.

The future of hearing testing belongs to communities, not hospitals

AUDIMETROID is purpose-built health care technology for hearing testing. Designed for fast community uptake, it’s a scaleable, cost-effective, community-based solution to a global problem. 

To learn more about AUDIMETROID, you can visit this page, or book a call with a member of our team.