Healthcare professionals' knowledge and practices in managing ototoxicity in children with cancer.
Kajal Ramnarian, Jessica Paken
PMID 39625086WHAT IT FOUND
Most clinicians knew ototoxicity causes hearing loss, but nearly three-quarters did not know how long monitoring should continue after chemotherapy ends.
Knowledge gaps persisted despite acknowledging the need for an audiologist's role, suggesting a disconnect between recognizing the problem and executing the protocol.
Key findings
01Two-thirds of respondents did not know if their institution had an ototoxicity monitoring programme, and 72.9% did not know the duration of post-treatment monitoring.
02While 94.6% agreed monitoring is essential, only 4.1% knew that treatment adjustment based on hearing changes is part of the programme.
03There is a statistically significant positive relationship between healthcare professionals' knowledge and their practices in managing ototoxicity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size for individual professions was very small (e.g., only one paediatric oncologist, three occupational therapists, and four audiologists), making profession-specific findings unreliable. Data was self-reported via questionnaire, which may overestimate actual clinical practice. The study was conducted in only two hospitals in one province, limiting generalizability to other settings. The response rate was 82%, but non-responders may have differed in knowledge or practice.
Declared interests
The authors declared no funding and no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that clinicians are unaware of ototoxicity risks; most knew hearing loss was a side effect. The critical failure is in the operational knowledge of the monitoring programme itself, specifically the duration of follow-up and the components required for effective management.