The Association of Hearing Loss with Hospitalization

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Audiology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Hearing loss (HL) is associated with increased hospitalization risk.
• Previous studies suggested HL may increase hospital readmissions.
• The current study aimed to confirm these findings and explore potential causes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively investigate the association between hearing loss and hospital readmission rates.
• To identify factors contributing to hospital readmissions in patients with hearing loss.
• To assess the prevalence and impact of communication difficulties in hospitalized patients with hearing loss.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study of 1247 English-speaking patients aged over 55 admitted to two Michigan hospitals.
• Bedside audiometric testing to assess hearing loss (HL) presence and severity using WHO criteria.
• Readmission rates, comorbidities (Charlson index), and socio-demographic data were collected from EMR.

Main Results:

• 76.8% of hospitalized patients had documented hearing loss (HL), with 50.5% experiencing mild HL.
• Patients with HL were older, more likely to be white, male, less educated, and had lower health literacy and more comorbidities.
• After adjusting for confounders, 30- and 90-day readmission rates were similar between patients with and without HL.

Conclusions:

• Hearing loss (HL) in hospitalized patients does not appear to be linked to higher hospital readmission rates.
• A high frequency of HL was observed in hospitalized patients, often accompanied by significant communication difficulties with clinicians.
• Improving patient-physician communication is crucial for enhancing long-term health outcomes in patients with HL.