In Spain, three professions linked to the hearing needs of the population are officially recognised: the otorhinolaryngologist, the senior technician in protein audiology and the speech therapist. However, an essential figure in the health systems of many countries is surprisingly lacking in recognition. Surprisingly, because population aging leads to an exponential growth in the number of people who have mild to profound hearing loss (deafness): currently 20.3% of the world’s population, according to the WHO, whose projections indicate that the problem will affect one in three people by 2050.
The figure ignored by the system is the audiologist, the professional who studies and measures patients’ hearing loss in order to offer a corrective or palliative solution. Collaborates with doctors in the diagnosis and assessment of audiological capacity and provides the measurement data to rehabilitation professionals (audioprosthetics, speech therapists).
Why are there no audiologists in Spanish healthcare? “It is our fault, the health sector, that we have not been able to communicate the need. When there is a problem, if there is no economic impact, nobody moves. It is now clear that (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 hospital: “There is a huge gap of people who know how to measure hearing loss, which is a very complex thing, and in the Catalan Society of Otorhinolaryngology we saw in 2018 that there was an urgent need for professionals with this knowledge”. According to this doctor, every euro invested in hearing health will save eight euros in the healthcare system.
This is where the creation, supported by medical organizations, hospitals, patient associations and companies, as well as the Department of Health, of the first degree in Spain in General Audiology, a four-year course that will start next year at the University of Vic (UVic-UCC). Roca-Ribas serves as academic vice dean. “We have a limit of 60 students and we assume that in the first year the majority will be people who work in this field. It is still an unknown profession in our country”, he explains.
Gerard Encina-Llamas, researcher at the main hospital in Copenhagen (Denmark is a reference 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 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 abilities necessary to carry out the functions and responsibilities in the field of prevention, hearing conservation, evaluation and rehabilitation hearing of the vestibular function”.
Hearing loss is the most important disability in people over 70 years of age and represents a significant healthcare expense. “It’s a real public health problem,” he continues. “The WHO has detected that it is the most important modifiable risk factor for dementia”, says Encina-Llamas.
