An assessment of hearing deficits among anaesthetists at a central hospital

Abstract

Background Unimpaired hearing is of paramount importance with regards to staff communication and alarm detection in theatre. Anaesthetists at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) work in loud environments and are exposed to injurious sound levels that exceed national recommendations. It is unknown if the anaesthetists at CHBAH have a high prevalence of hearing impairments. This article aims to assess the prevalence of hearing impairments among anaesthetists practising at CHBAH. Methods This was a cross-sectional study, with 90 anaesthesia participants from the Department of Anaesthesiology at CHBAH. A self-administered questionnaire was completed prior to audiometric screening to collect the participants demographical information and periodic screening audiometry was administered by a registered audiologist. Participants were considered to have a refer screen result for hearing impairment if found with either a hearing loss level of greater than 26 decibel or a percentage loss of hearing of greater than 3.2% of expected baseline levels for their age. Results Overall, 4.6% of the participants had abnormal screen results. Twenty five percent of participants expressed concern about their hearing. Seventy five percent of participants who had a refer screen result had expressed concern for their hearing. Increases in the years a participant had practised anaesthesia were associated with an increased risk of a refer screen result. At younger ages, the participants had a lower incidence than the general population but the incidence was higher after the age of 50. Conclusion The relationship between the length of time an anaesthetist had practiced and the presence of a hearing impairment warrants a concern for hearing loss among iv anaesthetists. There is a need for further research, especially at other facilities focusing on both auditing the level of noise in operating theatres and the incidence of hearing impairments of theatre staff.