Hearing Health Care: Review of a Report From the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Authors: Dan G. Blazer
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2016)

Ideas and Opinions20 September 2016Hearing Health Care: Review of a Report From the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and MedicineDan G. Blazer, MD, MPH, PhDDan G. Blazer, MD, MPH, PhDFrom Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M16-1209 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Hearing loss affects around 30 million persons in the United States (12.7% of those aged ≥12 years), and the frequency increases significantly with age (45.6% in persons aged 70 to 74 years and >80% in those aged ≥85 years) (1–3). This public health burden is especially important because, although interventions work for many people, the unmet need for hearing health care has been estimated at between 67% and 86% (4, 5). The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (of which the former Institute of Medicine is now part) recently released a report, "Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for ...References1. Agrawal Y, Platz EA, Niparko JK. Prevalence of hearing loss and differences by demographic characteristics among US adults: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1522-30. [PMID: 18663164] doi:10.1001/archinte.168.14.1522 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Lin FR, Thorpe R, Gordon-Salant S, Ferrucci L. Hearing loss prevalence and risk factors among older adults in the United States. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2011;66:582-90. [PMID: 21357188] doi:10.1093/gerona/glr002 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Lin FR, Niparko JK, Ferrucci L. Hearing loss prevalence in the United States [Letter]. Arch Intern Med. 2011;171:1851-2. [PMID: 22083573] doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.506 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Bainbridge KE, Ramachandran V. Hearing aid use among older U.S. adults; the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2006 and 2009–2010. Ear Hear. 2014;35:289-94. [PMID: 24521924] doi:10.1097/01.aud.0000441036.40169.29 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Chien W, Lin FR. Prevalence of hearing aid use among older adults in the United States [Letter]. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172:292-3. [PMID: 22332170] doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.1408 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Hearing health care for adults: priorities for improving access and affordability. Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2016. doi:10.17226/23446 CrossrefGoogle Scholar7. Lin FR, Yaffe K, Xia J, Xue QL, Harris TB, Purchase-Helzner E, et al; Health ABC Study Group. Hearing loss and cognitive decline in older adults. JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173:293-9. [PMID: 23337978] doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.1868 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Lin FR, Ferrucci L. Hearing loss and falls among older adults in the United States [Letter]. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172:369-71. [PMID: 22371929] doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.728 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.Note: Members of the Committee on Accessible and Affordable Hearing Health Care for Adults convened by the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine include Dan Blazer (chair), Brenda Battat, Karen Cruickshanks, Jennifer Devoe, Judy Dubno, Richard Ellenson, Barbara Evans, Ellen Flannery, Darrell Gaskins, William Hazzard, Frank Lin, Nicole Marrone, Jose Pagan, Thomas Pippin, Katherine Seelman, Debara Tucci, David Zapala, Sarah Domnitz (study director), and Catharyn T. Liverman (study director).Financial Support: The Health and Medicine Division report described in this article was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Hearing Loss Association of America, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.Disclosures: The author has disclosed no conflicts of interest. The form can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M16-1209.Corresponding Author: Dan G. Blazer, MD, MPH, PhD (Committee Chair), JP Gibbons Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3003, Durham, NC 27710; e-mail, dan.g.[email protected]duke.edu.Author Contributions: Conception and design: D.G. Blazer.Drafting of the article: D.G. Blazer.Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: D.G. Blazer.Final approval of the article: D.G. Blazer.Collection and assembly of data: D.G. Blazer.This article was published at www.annals.org on 7 June 2016. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byHearing Loss and Home Health 20 September 2016Volume 165, Issue 6Page: 441-442KeywordsCommunication in health careFood and Drug AdministrationHealth careHealth care providersHealth insuranceHearingMedicarePrevention, policy, and public healthQuality of lifeTelemedicine ePublished: 7 June 2016 Issue Published: 20 September 2016 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2016 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...