Stakeholder Perspectives on Ear and Hearing Health Service Provision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children.
Jacqueline H Stephens, Brianna F Poirier, Amanda Machell and 3 others
PMID 41877558WHAT IT FOUND
Stakeholders described ear and hearing screening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children as fragmented and inconsistent, with short funding cycles.
They said Aboriginal health workers often could not screen because of competing priorities, and children were lost after referral despite transport and reminders.
Key findings
01Stakeholders described ear and hearing screening as fragmented and inconsistent, with short funding cycles and poor coordination between services.
02Aboriginal health workers were seen as having large competing workloads, so ear screening was often not done unless a child already had an ear problem or a parent raised concern.
03Stakeholders reported high non-attendance despite transport and reminders, long waits for audiology or ENT, and children being lost after screening without follow-up.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 13 stakeholders took part, and they were adults in policy, administrative or clinical roles rather than children, families or Aboriginal health workers. The study reports stakeholder perceptions and recommendations, not patient outcomes, hearing results or tested service changes. Aboriginal health workers were central to the topic but were not included in this sample. Interviews were conducted by teleconference because of COVID-19, and participants declined transcript review. The findings are from South Australia, and the authors note they may reflect other settings but did not test that transfer.
Declared interests
The research was supported by grants from the Flinders Foundation and Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the recommendations as evidence that adding Aboriginal health workers or telehealth improves children's ear or hearing outcomes. The study reports stakeholder views only, not patient results or tested interventions.