ACI Alliance comments on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Draft Recommendation Statement

ACI Alliance comments on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Draft Recommendation Statement on Hearing Loss in Older Adults: Screening

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded that current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for hearing loss in asymptomatic adults aged 50 years or older. While we agree that there are few studies of the efficacy of screening adults for hearing loss, there is a large and growing body of published literature documenting the health and cognitive impact of untreated or undertreated hearing loss in adults.

We disagree with the Task Force recommendation not to encourage screening measures as part of routine healthcare. Screening does not necessarily require audiometric testing. It can consist of functional observation, whispered voice, or questionnaires. Until there is a greater degree of hearing loss evaluation being undertaken in adults, it will continue to be difficult to address the hearing loss assessment process and its impact on health outcomes. Studies need to be conducted; unless there are screening processes in place, the current situation with very little information to guide primary care practitioners will continue. We feel it is irresponsible not to encourage a proactive approach to assessment at a time when new studies have been published linking health, cognition, and quality of life with appropriate treatment of hearing loss in individuals of all ages and with all levels of hearing loss. The USPSTF draft recommendation represents a continuance of the long-standing failure to examine and address hearing loss as a relevant component of healthcare.

Read our full comments here.