TY  - JOUR
A1  - Rajeswaran, Ranjith
A1  - Tavora-Vieira, Dayse
A1  - Mertens, Griet
A1  - Dillon, Margaret
A1  - Narayan, Saranya
A1  - Kameswaran, Mohan
A1  - Kurz, Anja
T1  - Audiological practice and COVID-19: recommendations that audiological centers can use to maintain the safety and quality of service-expert opinion
T2  - European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
N2  - 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.
KW  - remote care/telehealth
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - audiological services
KW  - cochlear implant
KW  - hearing aid
KW  - triage
Y1  - 2022
UR  - https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/26677
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-266774
SN  - 1434-4726
VL  - 279
IS  - 3
ER  -