0
Sign In  | Subscribe
6 November 2012, Vol 157, No. 9>
Summaries for Patients | 6 November 2012

Screening for Hearing Loss in Older Adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement FREE

[+] Article and Author Information

The full report is titled “Screening for Hearing Loss in Older Adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.” It is in the 6 November 2012 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 157, pages 655-661). The author is V.A. Moyer, on behalf of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

This article was published at www.annals.org on 14 August 2012.


Summaries for Patients are a service provided by Annals to help patients better understand the complicated and often mystifying language of modern medicine.

Summaries for Patients are presented for informational purposes only. These summaries are not a substitute for advice from your own medical provider. If you have questions about this material, or need medical advice about your own health or situation, please contact your physician. The summaries may be reproduced for not-for-profit educational purposes only. Any other uses must be approved by the American College of Physicians.


Ann Intern Med. 2012;157(9):I-38. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-157-9-201211060-00527
Text Size: A A A

Who developed these recommendations?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is a group of health experts that reviews published research and makes recommendations about preventive health care.

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Hearing loss is a common problem as people age. It affects 20% to 40% of people aged 50 years or older and more than 80% of people aged 80 years or older. Age is the most important risk factor for hearing loss. Other risk factors include exposure to loud noise; certain drugs or chemical exposures; frequent ear infections; genetic conditions; and some diseases, such as diabetes.

Hearing loss can have a negative effect on quality of life, independent function, and social interaction. Hearing loss is often gradual and many people do not recognize the problem or report it to their doctors. Ways to screen for hearing loss in primary care settings include questionnaires and handheld devices.

Since the Task Force's 1996 recommendation, studies have evaluated the effect of formal screening for hearing loss, so the USPSTF wanted to update its recommendations.

How did the USPSTF develop these recommendations?

The USPSTF reviewed studies that examined the benefits and harms of screening all older adults for hearing loss during primary care visits. A draft recommendation was posted for public comment. The USPSTF considered these comments before finalizing its recommendation.

What did the authors find?

The only trial that directly studied the effect of screening for hearing loss was not able to determine whether screening led to better hearing-related function. Other studies largely evaluated the effect of hearing aids in people with known hearing problems rather than problems detected through screening.

What does the USPSTF recommend that patients and doctors do?

The USPSTF cannot recommend what routine practice should be because there is not enough information to know whether screening adults aged 50 years or older for hearing loss improves outcomes. Doctors and patients should consider age and other risk factors for hearing loss, patient willingness to try a hearing aid if a problem is found, and competing health needs when deciding whether to screen older adults for hearing loss.

What are the cautions related to these recommendations?

These recommendations apply only to screening people who have not reported hearing problems. People who report hearing problems should be evaluated for hearing loss.

Figures

Tables

References

Letters

NOTE:
Citing articles are presented as examples only. In non-demo SCM6 implementation, integration with CrossRef’s “Cited By” API will populate this tab (http://www.crossref.org/citedby.html).
Compression-Only CPR: Pushing the Science Forward
Cone
AAM 2010;304:1493-1495.
All you need to read in the other general jounals
BMJ 2010;341:c5893-c1494.

Comments

Submit a Comment
Submit a Comment

Summary for Patients

Clinical Slide Sets

Terms of Use

The In the Clinic® slide sets are owned and copyrighted by the American College of Physicians (ACP). All text, graphics, trademarks, and other intellectual property incorporated into the slide sets remain the sole and exclusive property of the ACP. The slide sets may be used only by the person who downloads or purchases them and only for the purpose of presenting them during not-for-profit educational activities. Users may incorporate the entire slide set or selected individual slides into their own teaching presentations but may not alter the content of the slides in any way or remove the ACP copyright notice. Users may make print copies for use as hand-outs for the audience the user is personally addressing but may not otherwise reproduce or distribute the slides by any means or media, including but not limited to sending them as e-mail attachments, posting them on Internet or Intranet sites, publishing them in meeting proceedings, or making them available for sale or distribution in any unauthorized form, without the express written permission of the ACP. Unauthorized use of the In the Clinic slide sets will constitute copyright infringement.

Toolkit

Buy This Article

to gain full access to the content and tools.

Want to Subscribe?

Learn more about subscription options

Register Now for a free account
Advertisement

Related Content

Customize your page view by dragging & repositioning the boxes below.

In the Clinic
Hearing Loss
Ann Intern Med. 2013;158(7):ITC4-1.
Topic Collections
PubMed Articles
Understanding Excessive SNR Loss in Hearing-Impaired Listeners.
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology Issue date: 2013 Apr
Detection of mild cognitive impairment and early stage dementia with an audio-recorded cognitive scale.
International psychogeriatrics / IPA Issue date: 2013 May 2

Annals of Internal Medicine

Other Resources

Copyright © 2013 The American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.
Print ISSN: 0003-4819 | Online ISSN: 1539-3704

Buy This Article

to gain full access to the content and tools.

Want to Subscribe?

Learn more about subscription options

Register Now for a free account
Forgot your password?
Enter your username and email address. We'll send you a reminder to the email address on record.
(Required)
(Required)