COVID-19-Related Challenges Among Patients With Hearing Loss Prescribed Hearing Aids, and Their Awareness of...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic presented serious challenges in accessing health care, especially for individuals with hearing loss who rely heavily on both sight and sound. Communication and routine care, such as hearing aid management, were negatively impacted by the mandatory use of face masks and the limited availability of clinics. Objective This study aimed to assess the difficulties faced by patients with hearing loss who were prescribed hearing aids during the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate their awareness and acceptance of telehealthcare services. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Armed Forces Hospital, Southern Region in Aseer Province, Saudi Arabia. The sample included 210 individuals aged 18-65 years who had a medical diagnosis of hearing loss and were using conventional hearing aids prescribed between 2017 and 2019. SPSS version 22 was used for both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Results Among the 210 respondents, 109 (51.9%) reported difficulty communicating with individuals wearing face masks, primarily due to an inability to lip-read (n = 15, 7.3%) and muffled speech (n = 75, 35.8%). Despite this, 130 participants (61.9%) experienced no difficulty using their hearing aids while wearing a mask. Although 166 (80.2%) preferred in-person consultations over telehealth, 69 (32.8%) reported being less likely to visit a clinic due to the pandemic. Communication challenges were more prevalent among users with bilateral (n = 42, 20.0%) and severe hearing loss (n = 57, 27.1%). Statistically significant associations were found between hearing loss type and both preference for in-person visits (χ² = 6.01, p = 0.049) and mask-related communication difficulty (χ² = 12.37, p = .002). Conclusion The use of face masks and restricted clinic access during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly inconvenienced individuals using hearing aids. Although tele-audiology presents a promising alternative, uptake remains low due to limited patient awareness and acceptance. Investment in telehealth infrastructure and expanded patient education is essential to ensure continuity of hearing care during future public health emergencies.