Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Hearing Loss Among Physicians in Jordan.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of physicians regarding hearing loss and its management among children in Jordan as an example of developing countries.

METHOD: The cross-sectional survey composed of 18 questions was used to fulfill the aim of the study. The study population consisted of 335 physicians working in Jordan, with different specialties. The data were collected through site visits to a variety of health care facilities, as well as an online version of the survey to facilitate data collection and ensure participants' comfort.

RESULTS

The majority of physicians (30.7%) were general practitioners or family doctors, followed by pediatricians (12.8%). Most of the physicians (88.7%) had experience ranging from 1 to 10 years; the majority of physicians (60.3%) were younger than 30 years of age. Most of the physicians identified the importance of newborn hearing screening. Physicians showed limited knowledge about the management and intervention of infants with permanent hearing loss. Only 11.5% of respondents would refer a child with confirmed hearing loss to an audiologist, and 1.9% of them would refer to a speech therapist. Even though the majority of the physicians (69.0%) reported not receiving any training to deal with deaf and hard of hearing children, they felt confident in talking with parents about hearing loss and its management.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that physicians have limited knowledge regarding hearing loss in children as well as its management and intervention. Furthermore, this study illustrates the need for more ongoing medical education programs regarding hearing loss in children.