Hearing Loss a Risk for Hospital Readmission

Adults aged 65 and over with hearing loss are more likely to be readmitted to the hospital compared to those with normal hearing, a new study found (J Am Geriatr Soc. 2018 Oct 5. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15545. [Epub ahead of print]). Researchers from New York University identified 4,436 patients 65 and older who reported difficulty communicating with health care personnel due to their hearing loss, and compared the hospitalization experiences of those with and those without this difficulty. They found that those with difficulty communicating had a 32 percent increase in the likelihood of being readmitted within 30 days after accounting for age, number of medical problems, and other sociodemographic factors.

Jan Blustein, MD, PhD, a professor of health policy and medicine at NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a senior author of the study, said hospitals are noisy, chaotic places, and people with hearing loss may have trouble understanding key information, such as what medicines they should take after discharge or how they should watch for or manage exacerbation of their symptoms. "This puts them at risk for difficulties after they are discharged from the hospital," he said in a press release. Blustein also noted that there are several low-cost technological approaches to helping older people with hearing loss to hear better, but few hospitals use them. "We hope that our research will help raise awareness of the potential to improve patient care by attending to hearing loss," he said. 

Published: 11/2/2018 9:57:00 AM

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New Research Show Benefits of Person-Centered Hearing Care Tools

Since 2016, the Ida Institute Research Committee has awarded research grants to projects that investigate the outcomes of using Ida Institute methods and tools and develop evidence to show the effect of person-centered hearing care. The first grant recipients have now submitted their reports. Their findings add to a growing body of evidence that demonstrates the value of Ida Institute methods and tools and the use of person-centered care in clinical practice.

Living Well Tool Creates Patient-Centered Framework

Project: Researchers explored the way audiologists convey information about communication and hearing loss management in appointments with adults with hearing loss and their communication partners.

Ida Tool: Living Well  idainstitute.com/tools/living_well

The study found that using the Ida Living Well tool shifted the emphasis in appointments away from difficulties of living with hearing loss to more positive and proactive communication and lifestyle decisions.

The audiologists who participated in the study found that the Living Well tool was a helpful, easy-to-use tool, particularly at the start of the session where it provided context that helped to determine client goals. Clients described the Living Well tool as a good starting point for appointments that allowed them to fast-track discussion and spend valuable time on one-on-one problem solving with the clinician. Researchers concluded that the tool enabled them to move the appointment focus beyond the deficit model in audiological rehabilitation to more positive aspects of hearing loss management, such as social engagement and successful communication.

Lead Researcher: Dr. Nerina Scarinci, The University of Queensland  
Co-Investigators: Dr. Carly Meyer, The University of Queensland, Dr. Katie Ekberg, The University of Queensland and Dr. Christopher Lind, Flinders University

Readiness for Rehabilitation

Project: Researchers examined how incorporating the Ida Motivation Tools into initial assessment appointments with adult clients can help audiologists better identify clients' readiness for hearing rehabilitation.

Ida Tools: Motivation tools idainstitute.com/tools/motivation_tools
Audiologists in the study who used the tools improved their ability to identify their clients' stages in the patient journey and successfully solicited clients' readiness for rehabilitation and potential concerns regarding hearing aids. The findings emphasized the importance of the discussion that is initiated by using the tools and not relying solely on the clients' scores. Evaluating only on the client's scores can lead practitioners to over-estimate clients' readiness. These study findings support the overall aim of the Motivational Tools as "conversation starters" and reinforced the need for audiologists to actively listen to clients' responses.

Lead Researcher: Dr. Katie Ekberg, The University of Queensland

Co-Investigator: Dr. Caitlin Barr, The University of Melbourne

Ototoxic Hearing Loss Among Childhood Cancer Survivors

Project: Researchers explored the support needs of childhood cancer survivors and their parents during the hearing rehabilitation process.

Parents whose children acquire hearing loss through cancer treatment must deal with the stress of both cancer and hearing loss. Many of the children will need hearing aids and special support to help their language and speech skills develop. Their parents will need support to provide an environment that encourages listening, speech and language skills.

In the study, parents, teachers, and audiologists all described the intense emotional demands on both parents and children. They also noted a frequent misunderstanding by parents of the far-reaching impact of hearing loss on their child's wellbeing. Both teachers and audiologists acknowledged the families' need for support of all kinds, but primarily social-emotional support to facilitate family adjustment. The researchers determined that audiologists and teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing children need both person-centered and family-centered awareness and skills and are well positioned to provide limited but important support through collaboration and consistency.

Lead Researcher: Dr. Janet Jamieson, The University of British Columbia

Co-Investigators: Beth Brooks, MSc RAUD and Dr. Marla Buchanan, The University of
British Columbia

Visit the Ida Institute website for more information on the grant and previous receipeints.

Published: 10/29/2018 1:48:00 PM

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Hearing Loss a Risk for Hospital Readmission

Adults aged 65 and over with hearing loss are more likely to be readmitted to the hospital compared to those with normal hearing, a new study found (J Am Geriatr Soc. 2018 Oct 5. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15545. [Epub ahead of print]). Researchers from New York University identified 4,436 patients 65 and older who reported difficulty communicating with health care personnel due to their hearing loss, and compared the hospitalization experiences of those with and those without this difficulty. They found that those with difficulty communicating had a 32 percent increase in the likelihood of being readmitted within 30 days after accounting for age, number of medical problems, and other sociodemographic factors.

Jan Blustein, MD, PhD, a professor of health policy and medicine at NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a senior author of the study, said hospitals are noisy, chaotic places, and people with hearing loss may have trouble understanding key information, such as what medicines they should take after discharge or how they should watch for or manage exacerbation of their symptoms. "This puts them at risk for difficulties after they are discharged from the hospital," he said in a press release. Blustein also noted that there are several low-cost technological approaches to helping older people with hearing loss to hear better, but few hospitals use them. "We hope that our research will help raise awareness of the potential to improve patient care by attending to hearing loss," he said. 

Published: 11/2/2018 9:57:00 AM

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via IFTTT

New Research Show Benefits of Person-Centered Hearing Care Tools

Since 2016, the Ida Institute Research Committee has awarded research grants to projects that investigate the outcomes of using Ida Institute methods and tools and develop evidence to show the effect of person-centered hearing care. The first grant recipients have now submitted their reports. Their findings add to a growing body of evidence that demonstrates the value of Ida Institute methods and tools and the use of person-centered care in clinical practice.

Living Well Tool Creates Patient-Centered Framework

Project: Researchers explored the way audiologists convey information about communication and hearing loss management in appointments with adults with hearing loss and their communication partners.

Ida Tool: Living Well  idainstitute.com/tools/living_well

The study found that using the Ida Living Well tool shifted the emphasis in appointments away from difficulties of living with hearing loss to more positive and proactive communication and lifestyle decisions.

The audiologists who participated in the study found that the Living Well tool was a helpful, easy-to-use tool, particularly at the start of the session where it provided context that helped to determine client goals. Clients described the Living Well tool as a good starting point for appointments that allowed them to fast-track discussion and spend valuable time on one-on-one problem solving with the clinician. Researchers concluded that the tool enabled them to move the appointment focus beyond the deficit model in audiological rehabilitation to more positive aspects of hearing loss management, such as social engagement and successful communication.

Lead Researcher: Dr. Nerina Scarinci, The University of Queensland  
Co-Investigators: Dr. Carly Meyer, The University of Queensland, Dr. Katie Ekberg, The University of Queensland and Dr. Christopher Lind, Flinders University

Readiness for Rehabilitation

Project: Researchers examined how incorporating the Ida Motivation Tools into initial assessment appointments with adult clients can help audiologists better identify clients' readiness for hearing rehabilitation.

Ida Tools: Motivation tools idainstitute.com/tools/motivation_tools
Audiologists in the study who used the tools improved their ability to identify their clients' stages in the patient journey and successfully solicited clients' readiness for rehabilitation and potential concerns regarding hearing aids. The findings emphasized the importance of the discussion that is initiated by using the tools and not relying solely on the clients' scores. Evaluating only on the client's scores can lead practitioners to over-estimate clients' readiness. These study findings support the overall aim of the Motivational Tools as "conversation starters" and reinforced the need for audiologists to actively listen to clients' responses.

Lead Researcher: Dr. Katie Ekberg, The University of Queensland

Co-Investigator: Dr. Caitlin Barr, The University of Melbourne

Ototoxic Hearing Loss Among Childhood Cancer Survivors

Project: Researchers explored the support needs of childhood cancer survivors and their parents during the hearing rehabilitation process.

Parents whose children acquire hearing loss through cancer treatment must deal with the stress of both cancer and hearing loss. Many of the children will need hearing aids and special support to help their language and speech skills develop. Their parents will need support to provide an environment that encourages listening, speech and language skills.

In the study, parents, teachers, and audiologists all described the intense emotional demands on both parents and children. They also noted a frequent misunderstanding by parents of the far-reaching impact of hearing loss on their child's wellbeing. Both teachers and audiologists acknowledged the families' need for support of all kinds, but primarily social-emotional support to facilitate family adjustment. The researchers determined that audiologists and teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing children need both person-centered and family-centered awareness and skills and are well positioned to provide limited but important support through collaboration and consistency.

Lead Researcher: Dr. Janet Jamieson, The University of British Columbia

Co-Investigators: Beth Brooks, MSc RAUD and Dr. Marla Buchanan, The University of
British Columbia

Visit the Ida Institute website for more information on the grant and previous receipeints.

Published: 10/29/2018 1:48:00 PM

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PATELLOFEMORAL JOINT STRESS MEASURED ACROSS THREE DIFFERENT RUNNING TECHNIQUES

Publication date: Available online 3 November 2018

Source: Gait & Posture

Author(s): Ana Flavia dos Santos, Theresa Helissa Nakagawa, Fábio Viadanna Serrão, Reed Ferber

Abstract

Background

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is the most common running-related injury. It has been shown in previous studies that gait retraining may have a beneficial effect on patellofemoral joint stress (PFJS).

Research question

Is there a reduction of PFJS across 4 running conditions: 1. runner’s typical rearfoot strike pattern, 2. forefoot landing, 3. step rate increase by 10% and 4. forward trunk lean?

Methods

Nineteen healthy runners (28.05 ± 5.03 years; 26.58 ± 8.85 km/week, 6.00 ± 4.51 years of running experience) completed one running trial for each condition, at the same subject-specific comfortable speed on a treadmill. Kinetic and kinematic data were collected and measures of hip, knee and ankle joint moments and PFJS were calculated.

Results

Compared to rearfoot strike condition, peak PFJS and PFJS-time integral per step were significantly (P < 0.01) lower during forefoot landing and step rate increase conditions. PFJS per kilometer was significantly reduced for forefoot landing (17.01%; P < 0.01) and increased step rate (12.90%; P = 0.003). Forward trunk lean technique showed no significant differences in peak PFJS (P=0.187), PFJS-time integral per step (P=0.815) and PFJS per kilometer (P=0.077) compared to rearfoot strike pattern.

Interpretation

The comparison between techniques revealed greater reductions on PFJS by forefoot landing, followed by 10% step rate increase condition. These changes were the result of different lower limb movement strategies across the 2 running conditions. We conclude that compared to a rearfoot strike pattern, both a forefoot landing and step rate increase result in lower cumulative PFJS joint stress in healthy runners, with the forefoot landing being the most effective. These running technique modifications could be recommended to reduce PFJS loads and may have implications for PFP prevention.

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PATELLOFEMORAL JOINT STRESS MEASURED ACROSS THREE DIFFERENT RUNNING TECHNIQUES

Publication date: Available online 3 November 2018

Source: Gait & Posture

Author(s): Ana Flavia dos Santos, Theresa Helissa Nakagawa, Fábio Viadanna Serrão, Reed Ferber

Abstract

Background

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is the most common running-related injury. It has been shown in previous studies that gait retraining may have a beneficial effect on patellofemoral joint stress (PFJS).

Research question

Is there a reduction of PFJS across 4 running conditions: 1. runner’s typical rearfoot strike pattern, 2. forefoot landing, 3. step rate increase by 10% and 4. forward trunk lean?

Methods

Nineteen healthy runners (28.05 ± 5.03 years; 26.58 ± 8.85 km/week, 6.00 ± 4.51 years of running experience) completed one running trial for each condition, at the same subject-specific comfortable speed on a treadmill. Kinetic and kinematic data were collected and measures of hip, knee and ankle joint moments and PFJS were calculated.

Results

Compared to rearfoot strike condition, peak PFJS and PFJS-time integral per step were significantly (P < 0.01) lower during forefoot landing and step rate increase conditions. PFJS per kilometer was significantly reduced for forefoot landing (17.01%; P < 0.01) and increased step rate (12.90%; P = 0.003). Forward trunk lean technique showed no significant differences in peak PFJS (P=0.187), PFJS-time integral per step (P=0.815) and PFJS per kilometer (P=0.077) compared to rearfoot strike pattern.

Interpretation

The comparison between techniques revealed greater reductions on PFJS by forefoot landing, followed by 10% step rate increase condition. These changes were the result of different lower limb movement strategies across the 2 running conditions. We conclude that compared to a rearfoot strike pattern, both a forefoot landing and step rate increase result in lower cumulative PFJS joint stress in healthy runners, with the forefoot landing being the most effective. These running technique modifications could be recommended to reduce PFJS loads and may have implications for PFP prevention.

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