LM102 - EARS: A Multilingual Patient Education Platform for Equitable Hearing Healthcare

Abstract: Health literacy barriers limit access to quality hearing healthcare, disproportionately affecting non-English speaking patients. EARS (Equitable Access to Rehabilitative Services) is a free, evidence-based patient education platform providing comprehensive hearing health resources in 10+ languages. This session introduces EARS' framework, demonstrates navigation through key content areas, and provides clinicians with strategies for integrating multilingual patient education into clinical workflows. Attendees will learn how to leverage EARS resources to improve patient engagement, reduce appointment time spent on repetitive education, and address health literacy disparities in their practices. The session includes practical implementation guidance for diverse practice settings.

Summary: Health literacy is a critical determinant of healthcare quality, yet audiology has lacked comprehensive, accessible patient education resources that address linguistic and cultural diversity. Approximately 67 million Americans speak a language other than English at home, and limited English proficiency is associated with poorer health outcomes, lower treatment adherence, and reduced healthcare utilization. In audiology specifically, complex topics including hearing aid technology, cochlear implants, tinnitus management, and vestibular disorders require clear, accessible education materials that currently don't exist in most languages.

Traditional approaches—translated handouts, interpreter services, or English-only resources—are inadequate. Handouts lack comprehensiveness and become quickly outdated. Interpreters are expensive and unavailable for many languages. English-only materials exclude millions of patients. Additionally, most existing audiology patient education is created by device manufacturers, creating inherent commercial bias and limiting content to product-specific information rather than holistic hearing health education.

The UCSF Hearing Learning Health Network developed EARS (Equitable Access to Rehabilitative Services) to address these gaps. EARS is a free, comprehensive patient education website providing evidence-based hearing health information in 10+ languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, and more.

EARS content is organized into four main hubs:
- Understanding Hearing Health: Anatomy, hearing loss types, causes, prevention
- Getting Care: Navigation support, what to expect, insurance, finding providers
- Devices and Technology: Hearing aids, cochlear implants, BAHAs, assistive technology
- Living Well with Hearing Loss: Communication strategies, tinnitus, emotional health, advocacy

Content is written at appropriate health literacy levels (6th-8th grade reading level), uses plain language principles, incorporates visual supports, and is culturally sensitive. The platform employs AI-assisted translation with professional review and community validation to ensure accuracy and cultural appropriateness.

EARS addresses multiple clinical workflow challenges:
- Appointment efficiency: Clinicians can assign pre-visit education modules, reducing time spent on foundational education during appointments
- Patient engagement: Multilingual resources enable family members to participate in care decisions and support treatment adherence
- Consistent messaging: Evidence-based content ensures patients receive accurate, unbiased information
- Follow-up support: Patients can review information post-appointment, improving retention and reducing callback volume

This session will:
- Demonstrate EARS navigation: Live walkthrough of platform features, content organization, and multilingual functionality
- Present integration strategies: Practical approaches for incorporating EARS into diverse practice settings (hospital-based, private practice, community health centers)
- Share implementation case studies: Early adopter experiences and lessons learned
- Discuss scalability: How health systems can leverage EARS to address population health equity goals

EARS represents the first comprehensive, multilingual, evidence-based audiology patient education platform freely available to patients and clinicians. It demonstrates a scalable model for addressing health literacy disparities that could be replicated across medical specialties. For audiology specifically, EARS provides infrastructure that individual practices cannot develop independently, creating field-wide benefit.

This session is appropriate for audiologists in all practice settings, particularly those serving diverse patient populations or working in health systems with health equity mandates. Content is relevant for practice owners seeking operational efficiencies, clinical audiologists wanting better patient education tools, and program directors interested in population health approaches.

Brief Summary of Clinical Takeaways: Attendees gain immediate access to EARS, a free multilingual patient education platform, plus practical strategies for integrating it into clinical workflows. This includes assigning pre-visit modules, enhancing appointment counseling, and providing post-visit resources to improve patient engagement and treatment adherence for non-English speaking patients.

Assumptions: Participants should have foundational knowledge of clinical audiology and patient education. This session builds on that foundation by introducing EARS and demonstrating strategic workflow integration requiring analysis and application skills.