Research estimates 43% of patients over 60 might be missing crucial health information as a result of hearing loss. Important information, with regards to health care, could be missed because of hearing loss.
There is a Global Hearing Epidemic
Hearing loss isn’t a small problem. Globally, a third of people over the age of 65 have debilitating hearing loss.
But astoundingly, if we go a little deeper we discover that only 30% of those people who suffer from debilitating hearing loss have taken measures to improve their situation. In terms of medical care, this is bad news.
With Health Care – Communication is Key
One of the leading causes of death is medical error and miscommunication is a primary cause of medical error. A report from Harvard demonstrated that up to 37% of serious injuries that were caused by medical errors could have been prevented with improved communication. An improved ability to communicate crucial information with patients could save lives.
How Medical Care is Affected by Hearing Loss
Statistics can be a little abstract and hard to get one’s head around so let’s consider some essential information you might miss when speaking with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical professionals.
Doctors and nurses advise you regarding specific health objectives. They may explain what balanced levels are for things like blood sugar or blood pressure. There are particular things that can harm you if they are not controlled in a way that your health care professional recommends. You could be missing important pieces of advice that would help you manage your condition.
These medical providers may explain danger zones that indicate that you require medical care. You might not get the assistance that you require because you didn’t fully comprehend what your doctor was saying.
There may be crucial details about dangerous side effects of medications which your pharmacist is trying to warn you about. You could wind up in the hospital or worse because you thought you heard everything but you didn’t.
Perhaps you get a warning against doing some hazardous activity from your physical therapist. You could suffer a serious fall because you missed that recommendation.
Why discussing Medical Details is Particularly Demanding
Communicating medical information is especially tough because of a little thing known as context. When you suffer from hearing loss, you make use of context to “fill in the blanks” where you missed something. Your brain is in fact very good at compensating for hearing loss. You might even come to think that you heard something that you really didn’t hear, it’s that good at compensating.
The meaning of a sentence can be totally altered, when dealing with medical information, with something as simple as a “don’t” or “not”. A danger zone, goal, or dosage, might be
completely changed with one missed number.
The slightest detail makes a big difference when it comes to medical care. Missing them has been shown to result in medical mistakes.
Having Your Hearing Loss Addressed
You could be missing important medical advice if you have hearing loss. It’s time to deal with that and get your hearing back.