Although older adults are likely to experience some degree of hearing loss that if untreated will interfere with treatment for other disorders and result in less-than-optimal health care outcomes, health care providers do not have a reliable and cost-effective way to identify these individuals when admitted to a hospital for inpatient care. This article addresses the impact of untreated hearing loss on health care in a hospital setting and shares how the implementation of interventional audiology in an outpatient clinic has impacted the inpatient audiology services provided at a large tertiary care hospital. A discussion of how these services can be further expanded is provided.
Keywords
Interventional audiology - inpatient audiology services - hearing loss - healthcare
