Research estimates 43% of patients over 60 might be missing fundamental health information as a result of hearing loss. At a time when following medical guidance is so crucial, patients could be missing vital details about their care.
There is a Global Hearing Epidemic
Hearing loss is a major issue. Debilitating hearing loss is a problem globally for around a third of individuals over 65.
But surprisingly, if we look a little closer we find that only 30% of those people with disabling hearing loss have taken steps to improve their situation. This trend isn’t good news for medical care as we’ll show next.
With Medical Care – Communication is Key
Miscommunication is one of the leading causes of medical errors, and medical errors are still one of the leading causes of death. A study from Harvard revealed that up to 37% of serious injuries that resulted from medical errors could have been prevented with improved communication. Lives could be saved if crucial information could be better communicated with patients.
How Medical Care is Impacted by Hearing Loss
Statistics can be a bit abstract and intangible so let’s consider some important information you might miss when talking to doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical professionals.
Doctors and nurses work with you regarding particular health goals. Maybe they’re talking to you about healthy insulin or blood pressure levels. There are certain things that can harm you if they are not managed in a way that your health care professional recommends. Handling your condition could become a problem if you miss crucial advice.
You may be in a situation where your doctor informs you that you require medical care. You might not get the assistance that you require because you didn’t completely understand what your doctor was saying.
There may be important details about dangerous side effects of medications which your pharmacist is trying to make you aware of. You believe you heard everything but you lose a critical detail and end up hospitalized.
Perhaps you get a warning about some dangerous activity from your physical therapist. You miss the recommendation and sustain a serious fall as a result.
Why discussing Medical Details is Especially Demanding
Taking medical information in the correct context is especially difficult. When you miss something because of your hearing loss, you make use of context to attempt to fill in what you missed. Compensating for hearing loss is something your brain is in fact rather good at. So good, as a matter of fact, that it might even convince you that you heard something you didn’t actually hear.
The meaning of a sentence can be totally altered, when addressing medical information, with something as basic as a “don’t” or “not”. One misunderstood number could completely alter a dosage, a goal, or a danger zone.
In medical care the smallest details make a big difference. When those little details are missed, it can produce serious medical problems.
Getting Assistance For Hearing Loss
You could be missing vital medical advice if you suffer from hearing loss. Now is the time to take the correct steps to save your hearing.