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An international seminar in Denmark tackles how to make the hearing healthcare experience better for all. By Laura Friedman how can we improve the patient experience when receiving audiological care? This was the question posed to a small international symposium with representatives who fell into one or more categories: individuals with hearing loss, leaders in prominent patient associations, audiologists, and hearing health opinion makers. I was honored to represent Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) as one of the 31 attendees at this two-day “innovation seminar” in Skodsborg, Denmark, sponsored by the Ida Institute, a Denmark-based nonprofit that aims to better understand human dynamics associated with hearing loss. Titled “The Hearing Journey: What Matters to You?”, the October 2017 seminar focused on person-centered care, a treatment model that focuses on the whole person, rather than just the ailment or condition experienced by the patient. The peer-reviewed Permanente Journal says person-centered care “provides the basis for better recognition of health problems and needs over time and facilitates appropriate care for these needs in the context of other needs.” Similarly, the World Health Organization identifies empowerment, participation, the central role of the family, and an end to discrimination as the core values of person-centered care. One of the most eye-opening takeaways was recognizing that all those who are part of the care cycle feel shared sentiments of frustration, poor communication, lack of access, and high costs. Addressing these challenges from a variety of vantage points is critical to improving personcentered care and may be applied to medical care as whole. The exercises and projects we worked on resulted in meaningful insights related to person-focused hearing healthcare. We spoke about stigma, barriers to rehabilitation, and the need for creating “a new narrative” for how we speak about hearing loss—such as how current nomenclature addresses it as a loss or deficit. Altering the language can play a role in changing the experience for those who are hard of hearing, like myself. 40
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All parties stressed the importance of including caregivers and family members in process of managing hearing, and the need for a multidimensional model of care to address the psychological and emotional aspects of hearing care. This included developing a framework to discuss diagnoses and their subsequent treatment options in terms that empower rather than discourage the patient. We also discussed how clinicians should be more cognizant that a diagnosis can be difficult for the patient to come to terms with, and to remember that even though the most successful patients want treatment it may take time for them to feel motivated to take the next step. Follow-up appointments, rather than immediate discussion of treatment options, was a suggestion we agreed would serve the patient and clinician well.
One of the most eye-opening takeaways was recognizing that all those who are part of the care cycle feel shared sentiments of frustration, poor communication, lack of access, and high costs. Addressing these challenges will improve person-centered care. I look forward to working with Ida and fellow attendees to develop and employ tangible tools and solutions to better a patient’s hearing journey both in and out of the audiologist's office. Laura Friedman is the communications and programs manager for HHF. For references, see hhf.org/winter2018references. Read her story, “Leaping Over Hurdles,” in the Spring 2016 issue of Hearing Health at hhf.org/magazine.
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photo credit: liza chrust photography
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