A community-based approach to hearing testing is long overdue, and the time for innovation in this space is well upon us.
By 2050, the World Health Organisation estimates that 2.5 billion people around the world will have some degree of disabling hearing loss, which represents one in 10 global citizens. And of that number, a staggering 700 million people will require rehabilitation.
But it’s not just the sheer number of people with disabling hearing loss that requires us to think differently about how we approach hearing testing, it’s the ways in which hearing loss can impact a person’s health and wellbeing. Left unmanaged, hearing loss can have wide-ranging implications for the physical, mental, and professional health of an individual. From social withdrawal to loss of unemployment and even an increased risk for dementia, the potential consequences of unmanaged hearing loss clearly demand a better approach to hearing testing.
In this article, we’ll highlight why now is the time for innovation in this critical area of healthcare, and we’ll explain how a modern solution can overcome the challenges associated with traditional hearing testing.
Traditional hearing testing doesn’t serve all communities equally
There is a distinct lack of access to hearing testing among poorer Americans, and those living in rural areas. Not only can hearing testing be difficult to access from a geographical or logistical point of view, but the care is often prohibitively expensive for lower income individuals. Moreover, in the event that hearing aids are prescribed following an assessment, an individual can expect to pay thousands of dollars for just one pair, putting treatment even further out of reach for many patients.
The traditional hearing testing experience needs an upgrade
Many accepted ways of delivering healthcare are actually quite inaccessible for many patients, for many reasons. Hospitals and medical centers are notoriously over-crowded and under-staffed, and the result is that many patients will wait weeks or months for an appointment. Combine this with the fact that many patients must first see a primary care doctor and successfully receive a referral for a hearing assessment before seeing an audiologist, and it quickly becomes apparent just how complicated it is to take even the first steps towards receiving care. And once a patient does actually have their hearing tested, they might end up waiting for results, and then waiting again for prescription hearing aids to be ordered, delivered, and fitted.
Of course, this process — while it can be long and frustrating — ultimately provides patients with a hearing assessment and a pathway to treatment. But what happens when a patient can’t (or won’t) engage in this process, at all?
Patients with hearing loss often suffer from embarrassment related to their condition, and many struggle to communicate or engage normally with the people around them. As a result, certain basic tasks that many of us would take for granted — like calling a doctor’s office and making an appointment, much less leaving the house to travel to a hospital or medical center — can easily become daunting tasks for individuals with hearing loss, even if they genuinely desire to seek testing and treatment.
How does a modern solution overcome these challenges?
A modern approach to hearing testing meets patients where they are.
By making hearing testing accessible to patients without a referral or hospital visit, modern technology is reclaiming this critical area of healthcare for the communities who need it most.
AUDIMETROID is a lightweight, purpose-built solution for community-based hearing testing. It’s engineered to quickly and easily deliver results that surpass clinical levels of accuracy, all without the need for an appointment, a trained audiologist, or bulky, expensive equipment.
A hearing test with AUDIMETROID can be administered in any safe, quiet room, including in pharmacies, community centers, retirement homes, and schools. Results are delivered almost immediately, which means that patients know right away whether they need to take further action, whether they’re a candidate for OTC hearing aids (which can be purchased and fitted on-the-spot), or if they require onward referral to an audiologist.
With an approach that’s specifically designed for use by community healthcare providers, AUDIMETROID can help ensure that more people, in more places, have access to hearing testing, while creating a more psychologically safe pathway to this critical care that reduces patient discomfort, or embarrassment.
Patients deserve uncomplicated access to reliable healthcare.
And it’s clear that the traditional approach to hearing testing simply doesn’t offer such an experience. And that’s why modern solutions like AUDIMETROID – which effectively function as a triage for audiologists and hospitals – are the perfect complement to an infrastructure in need of an upgrade.
To learn more about AUDIMETROID, or to see a video of the technology in action, you can explore this web page.
And if you’d like to speak with a member of our team about how a more modern approach to hearing testing can benefit your community, you can use this form to get in touch.