Perspectives and practices of ototoxicity monitoring.
Jessica Paken, Cyril D Govender, Mershen Pillay and 1 others
PMID 32501032WHAT IT FOUND
At a South African cancer centre, all oncologists and pharmacists knew cisplatin can cause hearing loss, but only 33% of nurses did.
Hearing checks were not routine, and patients were usually referred only after they complained.
Key findings
01All oncologists and pharmacists knew that some chemotherapy drugs can cause hearing loss, but only 33% of nurses did.
02Audiologists said the hospital had no ototoxicity-monitoring programme, and patients were referred to audiology only after they complained of hearing loss.
03Audiologists knew they should assess hearing, but their monitoring timing and tests differed, and only two reported informing doctors, counselling patients, and fitting hearing aids.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
This is a single-site staff survey, so it describes one hospital's awareness and practice, not typical care elsewhere. It did not measure patient hearing outcomes, so it cannot show that monitoring prevents hearing loss. Only four audiologists were interviewed, so their views may not represent all audiologists. The study did not explore why staff did not use a monitoring programme. Self-reported answers may not match what staff actually do.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that ototoxicity monitoring prevents hearing loss. It surveyed staff awareness and practice at a single hospital and did not measure patient hearing outcomes.