Abstract
Objective
This study investigated audiologists’ knowledge of COVID-19 characteristics and infection control measures they followed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it examined the impact of COVID-19 on audiology practice, and audiologist’s knowledge of telehealth as an alternative.
Design
A web-based cross-sectional study using a questionnaire consisting of four sections.
Study sample
This study engaged 164 audiologists practicing in Jordan and Arab countries.
Results
Fever, cough, difficulty in breathing, and fatigue were identified as COVID-19 characteristics by over 80% of the audiologists. Other symptoms were identified by less than half of the audiologists. The audiologists showed limited knowledge regarding measures against COVID-19 transmission. This study revealed the limited availability of infection control measures in many audiologists’ workplace. The majority of audiologists stopped working due to the COVID-19 crisis and only 61.6% of the audiologists were familiar with the concepts of tele-audiology and its related aspects. However, most participants were keen to learn more.
Conclusions
This study revealed limited knowledge among audiologists regarding some of the COVID-19 characteristics, and limited compliance with the infection control policies. Limited knowledge in the application of telehealth in audiology practice was also shown.
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge the audiologists who participated in this study for their time and collaboration. We would also like to acknowledge Dr. Steven Cumming/The University of Sydney for proofreading the manuscript.
Disclosure statement
We declare no potential conflict of interest for this study.