Health Service Use in Children With Mild Bilateral and Unilateral Hearing Loss
Elizabeth M Fitzpatrick1,2, Eunjung Na2, Marie Pigeon3
1Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Ear and Hearing
|April 23, 2025
Summary
Children with mild bilateral hearing loss utilized more audiology services than those with unilateral loss. Early diagnosis and hearing aid use increased audiology and early intervention service use in children with mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss (MUHL).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Public Health
- Healthcare Utilization
Background:
- Increased identification of mild bilateral and unilateral hearing loss (MUHL) in children due to newborn hearing screening.
- Limited data exists on healthcare service utilization for this growing pediatric population.
- Understanding service use is crucial for effective resource allocation and care planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine overall healthcare utilization in children with MUHL.
- To identify factors associated with audiology and early intervention service utilization in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 182 children with MUHL identified in a Canadian pediatric center (2014-2018).
- Prospective collection of audiological characteristics and retrospective analysis of administrative healthcare data.
- Negative binomial regression used to analyze associations between clinical factors and service utilization.
Main Results:
- Children with mild bilateral hearing loss had 68% more audiology visits than those with unilateral loss.
- Hearing aid use was associated with an 86% increase in audiology visits.
- Earlier diagnosis, bilateral loss, hearing aid use, and developmental concerns correlated with higher early intervention service use.
Conclusions:
- Mild bilateral hearing loss necessitates more audiology services compared to unilateral loss.
- Two-thirds of children with MUHL accessed early intervention services.
- Factors like earlier diagnosis, bilateral loss, hearing aid use, and progressive loss drive higher service utilization, informing resource planning.
