Interventions to prevent occupational noise-induced hearing loss: A Cochrane systematic review

Verbeek, Jos; Kateman, Erik; Morata, Thaís C.; Dreschler, Wouter A.; Mischke, Christina

doi:10.3109/14992027.2013.857436

Cited by 63 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…In workplaces with technical noise, many employees wear a capsule hearing protector, e.g. soldiers, farmers and industrial workers [18–22]; moulded hearing protectors (MHPs) are often worn by professional musicians. In comparison to capsule hearing protectors, MHPs with adjustable otoplasty filter systems have the advantage that speech is still comprehensible with the hearing protector.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of moulded hearing protectors by child care workers - an interventional pilot study

Koch

Stranzinger

Kersten

et al. 2016

J Occup Med Toxicol

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BackgroundEmployees of a multi-site institution for children and adolescents started to wear moulded hearing protectors (MHPs) during working hours, as they were suffering from a high level of noise exposure. It was agreed with the institutional physician and the German Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services (BGW) that this presented an opportunity to perform a scientific study to investigate potential beneficial effects on risk of burnout and subjective noise exposure at work when child care workers wear MHPs.MethodsThis was an intervention study which compared the initial values with those after a follow-up of 12 months. All teaching child care workers employed by the multi-site institution were offered the opportunity to take part. Forty-five (45) employees in 16 institutions participated. The subjects were provided with personally adapted MHPs and documented the periods of wear in a diary. At the start and end of the intervention, the subjects had to answer a questionnaire related to subjective noise exposure and burnout risk. In parallel, employees were surveyed who had not taken part in the intervention.ResultsThirty-three (33) subjects took part in the follow-up after 12 months (follow-up rate 73 %). The median period of wear of MHPs was 34.6 h. During the period of observation, the mean subjective noise exposure increased by 2.7 %, and mean burnout risk by 2.5 scale points (baseline: 55.2, follow-up 57.7). Neither difference was statistically significant. 67 % of the participants reported that they were still capable of fulfilling their teaching duties when wearing the MHPs. In the reference group without the intervention, the increase in burnout risk was 3.9 points, which was even less favourable (baseline: 50.6, follow-up: 54.5).ConclusionsWithin the working environment of the child care workers, wearing MHPs did not reduce subjective noise exposure or burnout risk; the satisfaction of the study subjects with wearing MHPs decreased over time. There were however signs that the level of stress increased over time and that this might have been alleviated in the intervention group by wearing MHPs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of moulded hearing protectors by child care workers - an interventional pilot study

Koch

Stranzinger

Kersten

et al. 2016

J Occup Med Toxicol

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“…However, many hearing loss risk factors were potentially underreported using the company screening questionnaire, which could have important implications for hearing conservation programs’ ability to screen and counsel high risk workers. This type of underreporting may hamper the prevention efforts of a hearing conservation program, and may be one reason why systematic reviews have questioned the effectiveness of such programs (Verbeek et al, 2014). The accuracy of the screening questionnaire may be improved by using a consolidation of several years of worker responses to screening questions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of an audiometric screening survey with an in-depth research questionnaire for hearing loss and hearing loss risk factors

Mosites

Neitzel

Galusha

et al. 2016

International Journal of Audiology

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Objective We assessed the reliability of a hearing risk factor screening survey used by hearing conservation programs for noise-exposed workers. Design We compared workers’ answers from the screening survey to their answers to a confidential research questionnaire regarding hearing loss risk factors. We calculated kappa statistics to test the correlation between yes/no questions in the research questionnaire compared to answers from one and five years of screening surveys. Study Sample We compared the screening survey and research questionnaire answers of 274 aluminum plant workers. Results Most of the questions in the in-company screening survey showed fair to moderate agreement with the research questionnaire (kappa range: −0.02, 0.57). Workers’ answers to the screening survey had better correlation with the research questionnaire when we compared five years of screening answers. For nearly all questions, workers were more likely to respond affirmatively on the research questionnaire than the screening survey. Conclusions Hearing conservation programs should be aware that workers may underreport hearing loss risk factors and functional hearing status on an audiometric screening survey. Validating company screening tools could help provide more accurate information on hearing loss and risk factors.

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“…In a review of interventions to prevent occupational NIHL,17 the evidence for the success of ‘hearing loss prevention programs’ was disappointing and with hindsight it may have been naive to expect the health promotion activity to have a substantial effect. The key to the elimination of NIHL among soldiers must be a greater understanding of why they choose to wear PHP or not and any new system must not only provide adequate attenuation, but also be acceptable; only then will it be possible to implement the cultural change that is needed to address the problem of NIHL.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of personal hearing protection in hostile territory and the effect of health promotion activity: advice falling upon deaf ears

Jones

Pearson²

2015

J R Army Med Corps

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The reduction in the wearing of PHP appears to have been because the perceived diminished threat of enemy contact was outweighed by any benefit of health promotion activity. Reasons for poor compliance were not investigated, but it appears that behavioural factors, and specifically, leadership at the smallest unit level, are important. These should be investigated and considered in the development of future PHP.

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Interventions to prevent occupational noise-induced hearing loss: A Cochrane systematic review

Cited by 63 publications

References 47 publications

Use of moulded hearing protectors by child care workers - an interventional pilot study

Use of moulded hearing protectors by child care workers - an interventional pilot study

A comparison of an audiometric screening survey with an in-depth research questionnaire for hearing loss and hearing loss risk factors

The use of personal hearing protection in hostile territory and the effect of health promotion activity: advice falling upon deaf ears

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