Prevalence and nursing staff awareness of hearing impairment in older hospital patients

Abstract

• This paper reports on a research study carried out on three Health Care of the Elderly wards in Nottinghamshire. • Two cross‐sectional surveys were undertaken to determine nursing competence in relation to the assessment and care of hearing impaired elderly patients. • Using pure‐tone audiometry, 90.5% of the sample were found to have a hearing impairment of ≥25 dBHL in the better‐hearing ear. • Results indicated that nurses possessed the relevant theoretical knowledge but that their practical skills were limited.