“Too few people realize that hearing loss is very common and can affect anyone, regardless of age. The consequence of this lack of awareness is that hearing is neglected,” says Dr Isabelle Mosnier, an energetic ear, nose and throat surgeon and researcher at the Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital in the centre of Paris, France.
“I routinely pull information from the World Report on Hearing and other WHO resources to introduce the condition to health professionals, students, policy-makers and the public,” continues Dr Mosnier, whose office walls are adorned with peaceful pictures of the French Alps, in stark contrast to the busy university hospital where this conversation takes place.
“When describing the situation, I very often start by stating how frequent hearing loss is, based on prevalence data from WHO,” she explains. “Most people would never guess that around 20% of the population, or 1 in 5 people, have hearing loss. This makes people listen,” she says with a smile, realizing the unintentional pun.
“After all, we all know of a friend or family member who has hearing loss. And the related difficulties in participating in conversations lead too often to isolation and loneliness.”
WHO support for hearing services
WHO launched the World Report on Hearing in 2021. Further resources related to ear and hearing care published by WHO include public awareness campaigns for hearing loss prevention and a handbook for hearing screening across the life course. Materials to celebrate World Hearing Day, an event held yearly on 3 March, are also freely available.
“Such is the quality and usefulness of WHO materials that when I teach future health professionals, I include excerpts in my educational materials,” comments Dr Mosnier. “I hope that WHO resources will continue to be frequently updated. Also, I would like future WHO resources to describe both the overall global situation when it comes to hearing loss and related interventions, as well as providing nation-specific information.”
WHO provides guidance for Member States to integrate ear and hearing care into their national health plans. WHO/Europe also recently increased its support to Member States to strengthen national ear and hearing care services in the WHO European Region.
Equity in access to hearing care
Dr Mosnier is passionate about improving access to the full range of hearing services. The interdisciplinary department she directs performs over 200 cochlear implant surgeries each year and provides access to hearing aid dispensers, psychologists, speech and language therapists, and many more rehabilitation professionals.
“Yes, hearing loss is more common as people age, but I want to dispel a myth. Hearing loss should not be left unaddressed, and that’s true for people of any age. Effective solutions are at hand to bring back quality of life,” concludes Dr Mosnier before returning to caring for patients and conducting research at the hospital.