Community provision of hearing aids and related audiology services

Reeves D J, Alborz A, Hickson F S, Bamford J M, Gosden T
Record ID 32000008230
English
Authors' objectives:

To undertake a systematic review of the evidence relating to community provision of NHS hearing aids and related audiology services for adults. 'Community provision' refers to clinics conducted by NHS audiology/hearing aid department staff at locations away from their main departmental base, such as at general practitioner (GP) practices, health centres and peripheral hospitals.

Authors' recommendations: There is insufficient evidence for recommendations to be made relating to any general policy of expansion or contraction of community-based hearing aid services. However, it is suggested that existing community service providers consider: - maintaining standards of audiometric testing at community sites - maintaining standards of patient safety - providing information for patients - establishing remote links to centralised records - reducing costs at community sites - maximising the patient base for community clinics and reducing inequity - ensuring that an accessible after-care service is provided for patients fitted with hearing aids in the community.
Authors' methods: Systematic review, Survey, Cost study
Details
Project Status: Completed
URL for project: http://www.hta.ac.uk/919
Year Published: 2000
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: England, United Kingdom
MeSH Terms
  • Costs and Cost Analysis
  • Hearing Aids
Contact
Organisation Name: NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme
Contact Address: NIHR Journals Library, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre, Alpha House, University of Southampton Science Park, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK
Contact Name: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Contact Email: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Copyright: 2009 Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.