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Availability of resources for paediatric hearing care in a South African province
Mukovhe Phanguphangu1, Khomotjo Kgare, Ashley Flynn
1Department of Rehabilitative Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Fort Hare, East London. Mukovhe.phanguphangu@icloud.com.
Insights
Limited healthcare resources hinder early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) for infants. Uneven distribution of audiology services and equipment in South Africa
Area of Science:
- Healthcare resource allocation
- Public health
- Audiology services
Background:
- Healthcare resource unavailability negatively impacts patient outcomes, particularly for infants requiring early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI).
- The Eastern Cape province in South Africa faces challenges in providing essential healthcare services.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the availability and distribution of resources crucial for EHDI services.
- To identify disparities in EHDI resource allocation within state hospitals in the Eastern Cape.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted.
- Data was collected from 16 state hospitals (9 district, 4 regional, 3 tertiary) between July and October 2022.
Main Results:
- Only 13 hospitals had audiologists or speech therapists and audiologists.
- Essential diagnostic equipment like auditory brainstem response was scarce (3 hospitals).
- Newborn hearing screening (50%) and diagnostic evaluations (56%) were inconsistently provided, with limited hearing aid fitting (14 hospitals).
Conclusions:
- A significant and uneven distribution of EHDI resources was identified, compromising service provision.
- Recommendations include equitable resource distribution and strengthened hearing health services to improve access.
- This study underscores the need for health system strengthening, especially with the National Health Insurance initiative.
Background:
Unavailability of healthcare resources can lead to poor patient outcomes. The latter is true for infants with hearing loss and require early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI).
Aim:
To determine the availability and distribution of resources for EHDI in state hospitals in the Eastern Cape (EC) province, South Africa.
Setting:
Sixteen state hospitals (nine district, four regional and three tertiary hospitals).
Methods:
Descriptive cross-sectional survey completed between July 2022 and October 2022.
Results:
Thirteen hospitals had audiologists (n = 4) or speech therapists and audiologists (n = 9). Specific to equipment, 10 hospitals had a screening otoacoustic emissions or automated auditory brainstem response, 8 hospitals had diagnostic middle ear analysers and only 3 hospitals had diagnostic auditory brainstem response and/or auditory steady state response. Twelve hospitals did not have visual response audiometry (VRA) and 94% had no hearing aid verification systems. Budget allocations were uneven, with only 10 hospitals, i.e., 4 districts, all regional and 2 tertiary hospitals being allocated varying amounts. Subsequently, only 50% provided newborn hearing screening, 56% provided diagnostic evaluations and 14 hospitals fitted hearing aids.
Conclusion:
Results revealed a limited and uneven distribution of resources, which negatively impacted the provision of EHDI. Even distribution of healthcare resources and further research aimed at strengthening hearing health services is recommended as these could potentially improve equitable access to EHDI and the overall quality of healthcare provided.Contribution: This study highlights the need for even distribution of resources and strengthening of health systems, especially in the dawn of the National Health Insurance.
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