The impact of COVID-19 on provision of UK audiology services & on attitudes towards delivery of telehealth services

Abstract

Objective

To (i) identify the impact of COVID-19 on provision of UK audiology services across sectors (ii) compare teleaudiology service provision between private and public sectors before and after the introduction of restrictions and (iii) identify barriers to teleaudiology delivery amongst UK hearing care professionals in both sectors.

Design

A mixed-methods cross-sectional survey study design. Responses to the structured questionnaire were analysed using descriptive and non-parametric statistics.

Study Sample

UK based hearing care professionals (HCP) (n = 323) completed the survey (218 public sector; 89 private sector).

Results

Changes in working patterns varied greatly between different sectors, with 61% of national employed and 26% of independent HCPs being furloughed, compared with 1% in the public sector. Use of telehealth was under-utilised across all sectors and groups in UK hearing healthcare, despite 92% of public and 75% of private HCPs reporting feeling comfortable conducting remote consultations.

Conclusion

This study highlights a variation in teleaudiology adoption and key barriers across sector in the UK. A collaborative approach between hearing device manufacturers, research centres, HCPs and professional bodies is required for the creation of targeted guidance and training materials according to sector, to support clinicians in effective teleaudiology provision.

Keywords:

• Teleaudiology
• telehealth
• audiology
• hearing aid
• remote consultations
• audiologist
• telecare
• hearing aid

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the British Society of Audiology, British Academy of Audiology and the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists for distributing this survey. Many thanks to the individuals who helped review and pilot the survey. Our thanks are extended to the respondents who completed the survey.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by the NIHR UCLH BRC Deafness and Hearing Problems theme (B.P PhD studentship)