Accessing hearing-health services for deaf and hard-of-hearing children during the COVID-19 pandemic: Parent and child perspectives.

ABSTRACT: To describe hearing-health service use, especially use of telehealth, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in deaf/hard-of-hearing children. In 2020, the Victorian Childhood Hearing Longitudinal Databank surveyed 497 (61.6%) families of deaf/hard-of-hearing children aged 0.4-19.6 years, with 449 (90.3%) providing quantitative data and 336 (67.6%) providing free-text comments about COVID-19's impact on service use and access. We summarised quantitative data using descriptive statistics and analysed free-text responses using inductive and deductive reasoning. Of the 1152 services families used during the pandemic, 711 (62%) were accessed via telehealth. Parents reported several challenges and facilitators of service access during the pandemic, particularly regarding telehealth. P

SUBMITTER: Mardinli A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9538432 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature