Unitron, Plymouth, Minn, has announced that it worked with CUNY to design a physician’s hearing screening toolkit intended to help the general practitioner screen patients for hearing loss. The new “Hearing Healthcare Toolkit for Use in Primary and Geriatric Care” was created by Barbara E. Weinstein, PhD, professor and founding executive officer of the doctor of audiology program (AuD) at CUNY, and Brian Taylor, AuD, director of practice development and clinical affairs at Unitron. An aim of the toolkit’s developers, Unitron says, was to help primary care physicians break down the barriers keeping people from getting the hearing healthcare services they need.
“The number of Americans who need hearing healthcare services but don’t get them is disturbing,” said Taylor in the announcement. “As a company, Unitron is focused on providing solutions for healthcare providers so they can better serve their patients, and get them the treatment they need. Early screening is another way of helping mitigate the effects that hearing loss can have on longterm health and quality of life.”
According to Unitron, ongoing research has uncovered links between hearing loss and a growing list of other health conditions. It has reportedly been found that, in some cases, hearing loss may be an indicator of serious conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. Other research findings suggest that untreated hearing loss may also contribute to health risks, such as dementia, depression, and falling, among other issues.
Via its announcement, Unitron has invited hearing healthcare professionals to download the complimentary physician’s hearing screening toolkit at the Unitron website. The website also offers a downloadable guide for using the toolkit.
Source: Unitron
