Man hospitalized from a fall related to his untreated hearing loss.

Significant health information is missed by about 43% of patients over the age of 60, as reported by recent research. At a time when following medical advice is so crucial, patients might be missing important details about their care.

Hearing Loss – A Worldwide Epidemic

Hearing loss isn’t a small problem. Disabling hearing loss is an issue worldwide for about a third of people who are 65 or older.

If we delve further, we see that surprisingly only around 30% of those same seniors who suffer with hearing loss have, or make use of, solutions that would improve their hearing. When it comes to medical care, this is bad news.

With Health Care – Communication is Essential

One of the leading causes of death is medical error and miscommunication is a primary cause of medical error. A study from Harvard showed that as many as 37% of serious injuries that resulted from medical errors could have been prevented with improved communication. An enhanced ability to communicate crucial information with patients could save lives.

How Medical Care is Impacted by Hearing Loss

When you are talking to pharmacists, nurses, or doctors there is some information you won’t want to miss so let’s not dwell on statistics.

When it comes to reaching health objectives, the advice of health care professionals is a crucial element. They may talk about what balanced levels are for things like blood sugar or blood pressure. There are certain things that can harm you if they are not handled in a way that your health care professional suggests. Managing your condition could become a problem if you miss important advice.

You may be in a situation where your doctor informs you that you need medical attention. You may not get the assistance that you require because you didn’t fully understand what your doctor was saying.

Your pharmacist may try to warn you about dangerous side effects or drug interactions. You think you heard everything but you miss an important detail and end up hospitalized.

Maybe you get a warning about some dangerous activity from your physical therapist. You could suffer a serious fall because you missed that advice.

It’s Particularly Difficult to Talk About Medical Data

Discussing medical data is particularly challenging because of a little thing known as context. When you miss something as a result of your hearing loss, you use context to try to fill in what you missed. Your brain is in fact very good at compensating for hearing loss. So good, as a matter of fact, that it may even make you believe that you heard something you didn’t truly hear.

The meaning of a sentence can be completely changed, when dealing with medical information, with something as basic as a “don’t” or “not”. One number misunderstood could completely change a dosage, a goal, or a danger zone.

In medical care the smallest details make a big difference. When those small details are missed, it can produce serious medical issues.

Getting Assistance For Hearing Loss

You could be missing crucial medical advice if you suffer from hearing loss. Now is the time to take the appropriate steps to conserve your hearing.

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The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.
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