Clinic-based support combined with provider encouragement significantly improved hearing screening rates, while home-based screening had low adherence despite provider encouragement, according to a clinical trial in Ear and Hearing. To determine whether PCP encouragement and in-clinic support could improve adherence to hearing screenings compared with at-home screenings, Sherri L. Smith, MD, from Duke University, and colleagues divided 660 adults, aged 65-75, into three groups. The first group received no provider encouragement for at-home screening; the second received provider encouragement for at-home screening; and the third received provider encouragement for in-clinic screening following their visit. All patients who received both provider encouragement and in-clinic support completed the hearing screening, while only 26.8% completed the screening at home with provider encouragement, and 22.7% completed it at home without encouragement. About half of patients who failed the screening proceeded to a diagnostic evaluation, and clinicians of various specialties provided intervention plans to 35%-50% of these patients.
