Primary Care Physicians Crucial to Early Treatment of Hearing Loss
Hi all! We recently came across a surprising statistic. It has to do with primary care physicians and hearing screening. Most of us have a primary care physician (if not get one, they are important, first line of defense) and we usually check in with them to make sure things are ticking along. Many people trust their primary care physician and value their expertise.
What surprised us was information from a recent survey which found that only 37% of primary care physicians reported screening their patients for hearing loss at their first physical examination. The survey also revealed that less than 50% of docs advised their patients to schedule a comprehensive hearing evaluation with an audiologist if they found hearing loss.¹
This struck us as being a super low number, especially given that TENS OF MILLIONS of Americans live with some degree of hearing loss. As the Baby Boomer generation ages, hearing loss is quickly becoming a growing public health issue. Yet sadly, 75% of hearing loss is underdiagnosed and undertreated.²
This doesn’t have to be the case! Not for you, nor your loved ones. We truly believe that a well-informed patient has better outcomes because they are making better health choices. Next time you are at your doctor’s office for a checkup, be sure to share with them any difficulty or concerns you have with your hearing ability.
“But what if my hearing is fine?” you ask? Congratulations! We are very happy for you and hope it stays that way for as long as possible. But you should still ask for a hearing screening – having baseline information is good and may catch something that you’re unaware of.
If you’re curious about your hearing, contact us to schedule a hearing test.
Remember, we bring the clinic to you.
1 Popp, P. (2022). Survey of primary care physicians: hearing loss identification and counseling. Audiology Online.
https://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/survey-primary-care-physicians-hearing-1179
2 Zazove, P. et al. Effective hearing loss screening in primary care: the early auditory referral-primary care study. Ann Fam Med.