Hearing Loss Interventions for Occupational Therapy Practitioners: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Occupational Therapy
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Hearing loss significantly affects mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
• Client-centered interventions are crucial for supporting Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals.
• Occupational therapy practitioners require knowledge of effective interventions for DHH clients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and synthesize existing research on client-centered interventions for DHH individuals.
• To provide occupational therapy practitioners with a comprehensive understanding of interventions for DHH clients.
• To categorize interventions based on type, occupation, age group, theme, and professional.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across CINAHL, JSTOR, ERIC, PsychINFO, and Google Scholar.
• Full-text articles published in English between December 2013 and December 2023 were reviewed.
• Data extraction and synthesis were performed on 77 selected articles.

Main Results:

• Seventy-seven articles were synthesized, detailing various client-centered interventions.
• Interventions were categorized by type, occupation, age group, theme, and the professional delivering them.
• The review highlights a range of approaches to support DHH individuals.

Conclusions:

• Understanding these synthesized interventions is essential for occupational therapy practitioners.
• This knowledge enables practitioners to provide comprehensive support to DHH clients throughout their lives.
• The findings contribute to evidence-based practice in occupational therapy for the DHH population.