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Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study is to derive a consensus on an interdisciplinary competency framework regarding a holistic approach for audiological rehabilitation (AR), which includes disciplines from medicine, engineering, social sciences and humanities. Design: We employed a modified Delphi method. In the first round survey, experts were asked to rate an initial list of 28 generic interdisciplinary competencies and to propose specific knowledge areas for AR. In the second round, experts were asked to reconsider their answers in light of the group answers of the first round. Study sample: An international panel of 27 experts from different disciplines in AR completed the first round. Twenty-two of them completed the second round. Results: We developed a competency framework consisting of 21 generic interdisciplinary competencies grouped in five domains and nine specific competencies (knowledge areas) in three clusters. Suggestions for the implementation of the generic competencies in interdisciplinary programmes were identified. Conclusions: This study reveals insights into the interdisciplinary competencies that are unique for AR. The framework will be useful for educators in developing interdisciplinary programmes as well as for professionals in considering their lifelong training needs in AR.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and wiring of the article.
This work was supported by the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013/under REA grant agreement no. FP7-607139.
Ethical approval
The study was approved by the ethical committee of UZ Leuven/KU Leuven (B32201523779).
Supplementary materials available online
Notes
1. In medical education, the term ‘interprofessional education’ is widely used and some researchers claim that interprofessional is distinct from interdisciplinary education. Although subtle differences might exist between interprofessional and interdisciplinary education, they are based on a similar rationale and both endeavor to promote collaborative and integrative learning (Smith & Clouder Citation2010). In this paper, we do not differentiate interprofessional from interdisciplinary education.
2. There is no agreement on the definition of competency framework. In many studies, a collection of competencies covering several categories is called competency framework. In this study, we follow this flexible definition.
3. The represented disciplines are: audiology, speech-language pathology, rehabilitation, speech science, behavioral sciences, special education (including deaf education), linguistics (including language development and education), acoustics, neurosciences / brain processing, applied physics (including electronics, acoustical physics), cognitive science, room acoustics, sound engineering, biomedical engineering, otology, physics, psychology, family communication, additional disabilities, home guidance, cultural diversity, educational technologies, architecture, sign language.
4. The represented disciplines are: audiology, speech-language pathology, rehabilitation, behavioral sciences, acoustics, cognitive science, special education (including deaf education), linguistics (including language development and education), room acoustics, speech science, neurosciences / brain processing, applied physics (including electronics, acoustical physics), sound engineering, biomedical engineering, physics, psychology, otology, family communication, educational technologies.