Whilst there is no cure for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and medical interventions have limited effect, health professionals can do much to improve patient's symptoms and experiences of living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by listening to how their symptoms affect them and adapting coping strategies. It is hoped that the themes revealed in this study generate additional understanding and insight for future innovative practice.
Objective/Hypothesis
Hearing loss is a public health concern yet hearing healthcare disparities exist and influence utilization of rehabilitation services. The objective of this review was to systematically analyze the published literature on motivators, barriers, and compliance factors affecting adult patient access and utilization of hearing rehabilitation healthcare.
Data Sources and Study Eligibility Criteria
Pubmed, PsychINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science were searched for relevant articles. Eligible studies were those containing original, peer-reviewed research in English pertaining to factors affecting adult hearing healthcare access and utilization of hearing aids and cochlear implantation. The search encompassed 1990-2015.
Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods
Two investigators independently reviewed all articles and extracted data. Specific variables regarding access to care and compliance to recommended care were extracted from each study.
Results
Thirty articles were reviewed. The factors affecting access and utilization of hearing rehabilitation could be classified into motivators, barriers, and compliance in treatment or device use. The key motivators to seek care include degree of hearing loss, self-efficacy, family support, and self-recognition of hearing loss. The primary barriers to care were financial limitations, stigma of hearing devices, inconvenience, competing chronic health problems, and unrealistic expectations. Compliance is most affected by self-efficacy, education level, and engagement in the rehabilition process.
Conclusion
Accessing hearing healthcare is complicated by multiple factors. Considering the current climate in healthcare policy and legislation towards improved access of care, a deeper understanding of motivators, barriers and compliance factors can aid in delivery of effective and efficient hearing healthcare.
Attitudes towards resuscitation can be discussed with COPD patients by RNS without causing distress. Attitudes to resuscitation could not be predicted from parameters of respiratory disease severity or age.
Trust is evolving rather than static in HHC: Both clinicians and clinics can promote trust. The characteristics of HHC that engender trust are: practicing good communication, supporting shared decision making, displaying technical competence, offering comprehensive hearing rehabilitation, promoting self-management, avoiding a focus on hearing-aid sales, and offering a professional clinic setting.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of chronic morbidity and mortality, which imposes a major burden on both society and the health service. It is a common condition that is on the increase and predominantly caused by smoking. Progressive damage to the lung tissue renders the patient increasingly breathless resulting in a frightening existence causing varying degrees of disability and handicap. It is therefore essential that healthcare professionals understand how this condition affects patients not only from a physical perspective, but also from a psychological and social perspective to provide effective nursing management. Nursing management of patients suffering from this disease is aimed at helping to control individual patient's symptoms and improve their quality of life.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.