The debate sparked by the 2015 PCAST report and recent NASEM recommendations finds yet another showground at the upcoming AuDacity 2016. In the much-anticipated panel, "Innovation & Disruptive Service Delivery Models," hearing health professionals and industry leaders will discuss the driving forces behind these groundbreaking reports, as well as the work of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on accessible and affordable hearing health care.
"Regarding the drivers behind the activities at the national level, we will present an overview of the social, economic, physical, and psychological ramifications of untreated hearing loss and the increasing prevalence," explained Barbara Weinstein, PhD, who will serve as one of the panelists.
"The main goal is to provide audiologists with tools to continue to thrive in the face of the innovations thrust upon the profession," she stressed.
The two-part panel session will highlight issues of accessibility, affordability, and innovation—key concerns advanced in the PCAST and NASEM reports, which stirred opposing responses from audiologists and patients alike. Much of the lingering argument is on the recommendation for the FDA to create a separate over-the-counter category for "basic" hearing aids to boost access and expand the range of hearing aid options for those with mild to moderate hearing loss.
"We will discuss innovative ways to reach the people with mild hearing loss who do not avail themselves of our services which is an important and large customer base we should be reaching," said Dr. Weinstein on the panel's goal to address the different barriers to hearing aid access.
This discussion is in line with the NASEM recommendation to promote best practices and core competencies across the continuum of hearing health care, which includes examining, developing, and implementing quality metrics to improve patient outcomes.
Innovations in hearing screening and objective measurement will also be part of the agenda.
"We will recommend expanding the test battery to include screening for multi-morbidities linked to hearing loss such as fatigue, falls, cognitive decline," Dr. Weinstein explained to The Hearing Journal. On this note, she also confirmed that the panel will address the yet unproven direct link between hearing aid use and cognitive decline.
Improving patient-physician communication on hearing-related technology and services is also at the core of the NASEM recommendations.
"We will review how to administer screening tests of cognitive function and how to counsel [patients] about the outcome of the screen," Dr. Weinstein added.
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