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Updated: Jun 6, 2025
Trans-Tympanic Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Ototoxicity
Published on: March 16, 2018
Healthcare professionals' knowledge and practices in managing ototoxicity in children with cancer
Kajal Ramnarian1, Jessica Paken
1Department of Audiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban. kjramnarian@gmail.com.
Insights
Healthcare professionals show gaps in knowledge and practice regarding ototoxicity monitoring for children on platinum chemotherapy. Improved training is crucial to enhance management and protect hearing in these young cancer patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Audiology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Platinum-based chemotherapy can cause ototoxic hearing loss in children with cancer, severely impacting their development and quality of life.
- Effective management and adequate knowledge among healthcare professionals are vital to mitigate the severity and impact of this hearing loss.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the knowledge and practices of healthcare professionals concerning the management of ototoxic hearing loss in pediatric patients undergoing platinum-based chemotherapy.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive survey design was employed.
- Data were collected via self-administered questionnaires from 74 healthcare professionals in two South African hospitals.
Main Results:
- Over 60% of participants identified ototoxicity and risk factors; however, many lacked knowledge on monitoring program duration.
- While most recognized their roles and the program's importance, 99% did not fully adhere to monitoring guidelines.
- A significant gap exists between healthcare professionals' knowledge and their actual practices in ototoxicity management.
Conclusions:
- Findings highlight the need for enhanced knowledge among healthcare professionals to improve ototoxicity monitoring practices in pediatric cancer patients.
- The study advocates for incorporating ototoxicity training to address identified management gaps and support audiologists in overseeing monitoring programs.
Background:
Platinum-based chemotherapy poses a risk of ototoxic hearing loss, the effects of which can be devastating in paediatrics with cancer. Childhood hearing loss significantly impacts speech and language acquisition, and educational, psychosocial and emotional development, consequently negatively impacting quality of life. Adequate knowledge and effective management by healthcare professionals in the team managing paediatrics with cancer are, therefore, pivotal to mitigating the severity and impact on quality of life.
Objectives:
To describe the knowledge and practices of healthcare professionals on the management of ototoxic hearing loss in children receiving platinum-based chemotherapy drugs.
Method:
Using a descriptive survey design, data were collected from self-administered questionnaires completed by 74 healthcare professionals from two hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Results:
While 45 participants (60.8%) identified ototoxicity as a side effect of platinum-based chemotherapeutic drugs, 43 (58.1%) identified dose, duration and mode of administration as risk factors, and 43 participants (72.9%) did not know the duration of an ototoxicity monitoring programme post-treatment. Fifty participants (68%) accurately identified most of their roles within the ototoxicity monitoring programme. Most participants (n = 73; 99%) did not fully adhere to Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) ototoxicity monitoring guidelines. However, a positive outcome was that 70 participants (94.6%) acknowledged the importance of the ototoxicity monitoring programme for children receiving platinum-based chemotherapy.
Conclusion:
The current study demonstrates a clear correlation between healthcare professionals' practices and their level of knowledge. These findings underscore the importance of improving the knowledge base of healthcare professionals involved in ototoxicity monitoring programme to enhance their practices effectively.Contribution: This study identified areas requiring improvement in managing ototoxicity in this patient group, prompting the inclusion of ototoxicity training. This study supports audiologists in effectively implementing and overseeing ototoxicity monitoring programme.
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