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Objectives <p>The objective of this audit is to evaluate adherence to AAO-HNS guidelines in management of age-related hearing loss (ARHL) by ENT doctors in a tertiary care hospital. Moreover, this audit aims to implement an educational intervention to address identified gap, if any and reassess adherence post-intervention to evaluate improvement.</p> Materials and Methods <p>A pre- and post-intervention audit was conducted over a span of one and a half months at a tertiary care facility to assess the management of ARHL by ENT specialists. Phase 1 involved 51 participants, followed by Phase 2 with 53 participants after the implementation of an educational intervention, which focused on the AAO-HNS Clinical Practice Guidelines for ARHL 2024. The study included patients aged ≥ 50 years presenting with ENT-related presenting complaints, excluding individuals with mental health disorders or those currently undergoing auditory rehabilitation. Data collection was done through REDCap server database, which included patient demographics, presenting complaints, and physicians’ adherence to a checklist of Key Action Statements (KAS) 1–11 outlined in AAO-HNS guidelines. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS v26.</p> Results <p>The percentage distributions and frequency counts indicated that pre-intervention practices of physicians didn’t consistently adhere to the guidelines established in the audit standards. Significant improvement in the overall adherence to the clinical practice guidelines after the intervention was found (p value &lt; 0.001). Moreover, the physicians’ clinical adherence in relation to patients’ presenting complaints displayed variability in both the pre- and post-intervention assessments.</p> Conclusions <p>Patients aged ≥ 50 years should be routinely screened for ARHL and enrolled in structured care pathways for early detection and management. Adherence to standardized clinical practice guidelines ensures patient safety, optimizes hearing outcomes, and reduces the burden of untreated hearing loss. Future audits should assess the long-term sustainability of guideline adherence and the impact of educational interventions on clinical practice.</p>

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Clinical Adherence in Age-Related Hearing Loss Guidelines: A Quality Improvement Project at a Tertiary Care Hospital

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月29日

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  • Wizra Faiz,
  • Misbah Farooq,
  • Sarfraz Latif,
  • Muhammad Aasim,
  • Zia Us Salam Qazi,
  • Muhammad Uzair,
  • Syed Ahmed Shahzaeem Hussain

摘要

Objectives

The objective of this audit is to evaluate adherence to AAO-HNS guidelines in management of age-related hearing loss (ARHL) by ENT doctors in a tertiary care hospital. Moreover, this audit aims to implement an educational intervention to address identified gap, if any and reassess adherence post-intervention to evaluate improvement.

Materials and Methods

A pre- and post-intervention audit was conducted over a span of one and a half months at a tertiary care facility to assess the management of ARHL by ENT specialists. Phase 1 involved 51 participants, followed by Phase 2 with 53 participants after the implementation of an educational intervention, which focused on the AAO-HNS Clinical Practice Guidelines for ARHL 2024. The study included patients aged ≥ 50 years presenting with ENT-related presenting complaints, excluding individuals with mental health disorders or those currently undergoing auditory rehabilitation. Data collection was done through REDCap server database, which included patient demographics, presenting complaints, and physicians’ adherence to a checklist of Key Action Statements (KAS) 1–11 outlined in AAO-HNS guidelines. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS v26.

Results

The percentage distributions and frequency counts indicated that pre-intervention practices of physicians didn’t consistently adhere to the guidelines established in the audit standards. Significant improvement in the overall adherence to the clinical practice guidelines after the intervention was found (p value < 0.001). Moreover, the physicians’ clinical adherence in relation to patients’ presenting complaints displayed variability in both the pre- and post-intervention assessments.

Conclusions

Patients aged ≥ 50 years should be routinely screened for ARHL and enrolled in structured care pathways for early detection and management. Adherence to standardized clinical practice guidelines ensures patient safety, optimizes hearing outcomes, and reduces the burden of untreated hearing loss. Future audits should assess the long-term sustainability of guideline adherence and the impact of educational interventions on clinical practice.