Ear and hearing care: indicators for monitoring provision of services

Overview

As part of this toolkit, WHO is preparing a series of validated technical support tools appropriate for different aspects of hearing care provision, including planning and monitoring. Strong indicators are an important element to consider when planning effective implementation of ear and hearing care services. This document provides a set of uniform and universally applicable indicators that give planners a standardized tool for assessing the status of ear and hearing care provision in their country. Such standardized indicators should be integrated within countries’ health information systems, in order to measure progress over time on ear and hearing care. They also enable cross-country comparisons, which can facilitate mutual learning, including the identification of barriers and challenges, and the sharing of lessons learned.

This document has been developed through a consultative process that began with a consultation on national strategies and indicators for ear and hearing care, organized by WHO in July 2016. The indicators included are based on the outcomes of the discussions held and have been reviewed by experts from around the world in the field of  otolaryngology, audiology and public health.