15. READINESS OF THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM FOR SCREENING, DIAGNOSING, AND SUPPORTING THE TREATMENT OF HEARING LOSS FOR THE OLDER ADULTS IN THE HUE CITY
Main Article Content
Abstract
Objective: Assessing the readiness of the healthcare system for screening, diagnosing, and supporting the treatment of hearing loss for the older adults in Hue city, Vietnam.
Subjects and Research Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted with representatives of 15 healthcare facilities in Hue City. A portion of the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) toolkit was used. In-depth interviews were conducted with the study participants to further evaluate the advantages and challenges in screening, diagnosing, and supporting treatment.
Results: Most community health centers are not ready for screening, diagnosing, and supporting treatment. The main obstacles are the lack of guidelines, untrained healthcare staff, and insufficient equipment. Public hospitals/health centers have trained healthcare staff and guidelines, but the guidelines are not standardized, half of the units lack pure-tone audiometers, and only one facility is capable of providing support treatment.
Conclusion: There is a need to enhance the capacity of healthcare facilities to meet the increasing issue of hearing loss in the older adults.
Article Details
Keywords
Hearing loss, older adults, healthcare system readiness
References
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