In Spain, three professions linked to the hearing needs of the population are officially recognized: the otorhinolaryngologist (diagnoses diseases but does not treat hearing function), the senior technician in prosthetic audiology (focused on prostheses) and the speech therapist (treats hearing difficulties). Communication and language).
However, an essential figure in the health systems of many countries is surprisingly lacking in recognition. Surprisingly, because the aging of the population entails an exponential growth in the number of people suffering from mild to profound hearing loss (deafness): currently 20.3% of the population, according to the WHO, whose projections indicate that the problem will affect a of every three people in 2050.
The figure ignored by the system is the audiologist, the professional dedicated to studying and measuring the hearing loss of patients to offer a corrective or palliative solution. He collaborates with medical specialists in diagnosis and in the identification and assessment of audiological capacity, and provides the measurement data to other professionals (audioprosthetists, speech therapists) who may be involved in rehabilitation.
Why are there no audiologists in Spanish healthcare? “It is our fault, the fault of the health sector, which has not been able to convey the need. When there is a problem, if there is no economic repercussion, nobody moves. Now it is clearly seen that (the hearing deficit) has an impact on the health of the population, and also on public budgets”.
This is the explanation of Francesc Roca-Ribas, head of otorhinolaryngology at Germans Trias i Pujol: “There is a huge gap in people who know how to measure hearing loss, which is a very complex thing, and at the Societat Catalana d’Otorhinolaringologia we saw in the 2018 that there was an urgent need for professionals with this knowledge”.
A need propelled by the WHO reports, which predict a catastrophic situation in the coming years due to the exposure of young people to noise and the increase in longevity. Hence the creation, endorsed by medical organizations, hospitals, patient associations or companies, as well as the Department of Health, of the first degree in Spain in General Audiology, which will be taught starting next year at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Vic (UVic-UCC).
Roca-Ribas officiates as academic vice dean. “We have a maximum of 60 students and we assume that in this first course the majority will be people who work in this field. It is still an unknown profession in our country, ”he explains. The degree will last four years, will be taught in blended format and will include numerous internships, in line with the programs of the European Society of Audiology and leading foreign universities in this field.
Gerard Encina-Llamas, a researcher at the main hospital in Copenhagen (Denmark is a benchmark country in acoustics and audiology) will be a teacher in a career that, he believes, can have a significant impact on the population as “a basis for updating the country in audiological matters and improve people’s hearing health”.
Early detection and prevention are the best tools against hearing problems, and the audiologist has the “knowledge, skills and aptitudes necessary to develop the functions and responsibilities in terms of prevention, hearing conservation, evaluation and hearing rehabilitation of vestibular function.
