| Worldwide, hearing loss is estimated to affect 250 million people. Two-thirds of these people, who suffer from the “silent handicap” called hearing loss, are believed to be three years of age or older, have moderate to profound hearing impairments and reside in developing countries. Historically, hearing loss has been a relatively ignored disability in developing countries. Only recently have people begun to recognize the detrimental effects hearing loss has on social, emotional and psychological development of the people of these countries. Consequently, research is emerging which defines the core problem and appropriate intervention strategies.; Successful delivery of hearing health care in developing countries depends upon a stable infrastructure that allows for evaluation, maintenance, follow-up and re-evaluation of the services provided. Once the local need is identified, the potential services to be delivered are decided upon based on the primary needs of the community and the level of infrastructure in place. These services may encompass: treatment of infectious ear diseases including immunizations, antibiotics, surgical procedures and cerumen management, rehabilitation of hearing loss including the fitting, maintenance and counseling of amplification for hearing aids and/or body aids and, finally, community education and patient counseling.; Partnerships between Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree programs and hearing health care programs in developing countries are excellent ways to ensure continued support for both the programs and the student volunteers. Universities have a stable infrastructure and an established resource base. Opportunities for the funding of supplies, and associated expenses for delivering hearing services may be developed through a University endowment fund. In addition, faculty and/or student volunteers typically have more schedule flexibility and, therefore, more opportunity to undertake annual service trips.; This doctoral project will explore the prevalence and etiology of hearing loss in developing countries, as well as current services available for diagnosing and rehabilitating this affliction. In addition, future steps that need to be taken to ensure improvement in hearing health care delivery in developing countries will also be discussed. Lastly, based on my clinical experiences in Guatemala, Honduras and the Dominican Republic, examples will be presented illustrating how audiologists can deliver effective hearing health care services in developing countries. |
