In “Disparities in Health Care Utilization Among Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adults,” Gonzalez, Santiago, Jacobs, and Ellis describe results from an analysis of data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey regarding health care utilization patterns among individuals reporting they are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). Results indicated that disparities in health care utilization exist, including that DHH individuals are less likely to have a health care provider compared to non-DHH individuals. The authors conclude that, given these disparities, there is a need for improvements among providers and health care systems, including better communication access for people with hearing loss. In “Integrating Mild Cognitive Impairment Screening Tools in Audiologic Care: A Review,” authors Washnik and Anjum review the potential role of audiologists in screening for cognitive impairment. The authors describe how, in screening for cognition, audiologists can help address larger public health needs associated with potential link between acquired hearing loss and cognition, and that this is particularly important given the growing population of older adults in the United States.

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:

• define the barriers and facilitators to health care access among individuals who are deaf or who have serious hearing difficulty
• explain the importance of integrating cognitive screening tools in audiologic practice for facilitating early detection of mild cognitive impairment

Assessment Type
Self-assessment—Think about what you learned and report on the Completion Form how you will use your new knowledge.

Articles in This Course

1. Disparities in Health Care Utilization Among Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adults by Valeria C. Gonzalez, Zulma Y. Santiago, Molly Jacobs, and Charles Ellis, published in SIG 8, Volume 8, Issue 4, August 2023
2. Integrating Mild Cognitive Impairment Screening Tools in Audiologic Care: A Review by Nilesh Washnik and Javad Anjum, published in SIG 8, Volume 7, Issue 5, October 2022