PP202 - Bridging Knowledge Gaps: An Educational Approach to Addressing Hearing Health Awareness in Allied Health Professions

Abstract: Allied Health Providers are well-positioned to recognize and facilitate referrals for suspected hearing loss but often lack awareness to do so. Increasing provider knowledge offers the potential to strengthen referral pathways, enhance patient interactions, and improve help-seeking behavior. This pilot study implemented an interprofessional education approach with eight client-clinician dyads. A self-paced, iterative training module was developed, addressing five hearing loss objectives. Clients completed audiologic evaluations and the Self-Assessment of Communication; clinicians completed the module and pre/post Communication Partner Assessments (adapted from the Significant Other Assessment of Communication), which evaluated impact of training on identifying hearing-related concerns and facilitating referrals.

Summary: Nearly 27 million adults over 50 in the U.S. experience hearing loss, yet the majority don’t pursue evaluation. Research indicates untreated hearing loss is associated with poorer healthcare utilization/satisfaction, increased social isolation, greater risk for cognitive decline, and under- or unemployment. Concurrently, hearing concerns aren’t routinely addressed in general healthcare settings, placing onus on patients to self-report symptoms— complicated by limited awareness, low health literacy, and discrepancies between perceived and actual hearing loss. Even when patients raise hearing concerns, providers may fail to make referrals or use stigmatizing or overly medicalized language, further deterring help-seeking.
Although consequences of untreated hearing loss are substantial, little progress has been made towards implementing systematic screening procedures or improving provider education regarding prevalence and implications. Allied Health Providers (AHPs) are uniquely positioned to address this issue. As consistent communication partners with repeat patients, AHPs play a crucial role in recognizing suspected hearing loss and facilitating referrals. However, many lack sufficient awareness and skills needed to refer and communicate effectively, and fewer than 20% of AHPs recognize the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline. Increasing provider awareness of hearing loss offers the potential to strengthen referral pathways, enhance patient interactions, and improve patient hearing help-seeking behavior.
This pilot study aimed to determine if interprofessional education is meaningful in expanding access to hearing healthcare and improving patient outcomes. Eight client-student clinician dyads from the on-campus clinic’s Aphasia Center completed the full protocol. A self-paced, iterative training module for AHPs was developed to address five hearing loss objectives: stigma, classification & implications, red flags, communication strategies, and relationship with cognitive decline. Through question-based learning cycles with immediate feedback, supplemented by instructional content and clinical scenarios, the module assessed baseline knowledge and supported acquisition of hearing-related concepts. Student clinicians completed the training module along with pre- and post-training Communication Partner Assessments (CPA) based on clinical interactions with clients. Clients underwent comprehensive audiologic evaluations and completed the Self-Assessment of Communication (SAC). The CPA, adapted from the Significant Other Assessment of Communication (SOAC), served as the primary outcome measure with changes in pre- and post- training scores used to evaluate the impact of targeted training on ability to assess clients from a hearing perspective.
Preliminary findings showed client SAC scores consistently indicated greater communication difficulties than clinicians’ CPA ratings pre- and post- training across all dyads. Audiologic testing revealed hearing loss with borderline-good hearing aid candidacy in several clients when considering audiologic and subjective data. Although post-training CPA scores increased slightly, clinicians continued to underestimate communication challenges. Overall, findings underscore the importance of improving AHP education and support the feasibility of a structured training module while presenting areas for refinement. The revolving nature of students in the interprofessional clinic enables ongoing data collection and specialty-specific adaptations to strengthen results. Continued implementation is expected to improve hearing loss recognition, increase audiology referrals, and enhance collaborative care. This submission is fundamental as it introduces a generalizable interprofessional education model for interdisciplinary environments and the role of AHPs in hearing help-seeking.