Spanish-speaking Patients' Experiences with Hearing Health Care

Background/introduction: Health care providers working with Spanish-speaking patients must provide culturally and linguistically appropriate care to meet the communication needs of this population. Disparities related to hearing health care access remain understudied, leaving gaps in clinical practice and guidance for audiologists. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Spanish-speaking patients with hearing loss when accessing hearing health care services through a limited income hearing aid program. Methods: Six Spanish-speaking patients (three monolingual Spanish, three bilingual Spanish/English) with hearing loss from the Oklahoma City metropolitan area completed in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Results/findings: Three main themes emerged: (1) perceived barriers to service delivery (cost, language, and transportation); (2) success with hearing health care (use of interpreters and reduced cost of services and amplification); and (3) cultural factors (family, religion, and use of home remedies). Discussion/conclusion: The themes identified can provide a foundation for service delivery of patient-centered services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate to help improve access to and quality of hearing health care, particularly for this population of patients. This study identified factors that may contribute to hearing health care disparities for Spanish-speaking adults, which may not be observed in other disciplines that are less communication-focused. Suggestions for improving services for audiologists serving Spanish-speaking patients are discussed.