Publication
Title
Audiological practice and COVID-19 : recommendations that audiological centers can use to maintain the safety and quality of service-expert opinion
Author
Abstract
Purpose Audiology is an essential service for some patient groups and some interventions. This article sets forth experience-based recommendations for how audiological centers can continue to safely and effectively function during COVID-19. Methods The recommendations are the result of panel discussion and are based on the clinical experience of the panelists/authors. Results The recommendations cover which patient groups and which interventions should be treated when and whether this can be performed in the clinic or remotely; how to maintain the safety of workplace via optimizing patient flow within the clinic and the sanitation of rooms and equipment; and overcoming communication challenges that COVID-19 intensifies. Conclusion For essential audiological services to continue under COVID-19, safety measures must be implemented and maintained, and treatment and communication strategies must be adapted to offset communication difficulties due to personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing and to bolster patient confidence. In short, it is vital that staff feel safe, that patients either feel the clinic is safe enough to visit or that remote treatment may be an option, and that clinics and patients have a broad agreement on the urgency of any needed service. We hope that these recommendations help clinics effectively accomplish these goals.
Language
English
Source (journal)
European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology / European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies; European Laryngological Society. - Berlin, 1990, currens
Publication
New york : Springer , 2022
ISSN
0937-4477 [print]
1434-4726 [online]
DOI
10.1007/S00405-021-06766-W
Volume/pages
279 :3 (2022) , p. 1251-1256
ISI
000633755000001
Pubmed ID
33772609
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 05.05.2021
Last edited 04.03.2024
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