Hearing Concerns in Older Adults with Dementia
Author Information
Author(s): Danielle Powell, M J Wu, Stephanie Nothelle, Jamie Smith, Esther Oh, Nicholas Reed, Jennifer Wolff
Primary Institution: University of Maryland, College Park
Hypothesis
Does clinician documentation of hearing concerns vary for older adults with dementia or cognitive concerns?
Conclusion
Clinicians are less likely to document or address hearing concerns for patients with dementia during wellness visits.
Supporting Evidence
- 6.5% of beneficiaries with hearing concerns had a concurrent dementia diagnosis.
- 40% indicated congruent cognitive concerns.
- 20% had an existing hearing loss diagnosis.
- Hearing concerns were documented less frequently for those with dementia (44.2% vs 30.2%).
- Clinicians were half as likely to elaborate on hearing for patients with dementia.
Takeaway
When older people with dementia go to the doctor, their hearing problems are often not talked about or noted down.
Methodology
The study analyzed clinician visit notes and patient-level health information from Medicare beneficiaries who reported hearing concerns during Annual Wellness Visits.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in clinician documentation practices may affect the results.
Limitations
The study may not capture all factors influencing clinician documentation and may be limited to specific demographics.
Participant Demographics
Mean age 78.8 years, 56.6% female.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI:0.34,0.76; 95% CI:0.38,0.84
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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