Feasibility of implementing a school entry hearing screening programme in the South-East District, Botswana.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of implementing a school entry hearing screening programme in the South-East District, Botswana. DESIGN: A feasibility study design was used. Trained screeners conducted smartphone-based pure tone audiometry screening at 25 dB HL, at 1, 2, and 4 kHz using calibrated headphones. Learners with "refer" results after an immediate rescreen were referred and scheduled for diagnostic hearing assessment at the local hospital. Attendance at diagnostic appointments was encouraged through multiple contacts with the families. STUDY SAMPLE: The study participants were 403 Grade 1 learners from eight public primary schools. RESULTS: The overall referral rate for diagnostic hearing assessment was 4.7%, with a referral uptake rate of 90%. The sensitivity and specificity of the hearing screening protocol were 93.3% and 86.4%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 82.4% and 95%, respectively. The average cost per learner screened was US$ 10.75. CONCLUSIONS: School entry hearing screening programmes can be successfully implemented in the South-East District, Botswana. Lessons learnt from this study can potentially guide phased implementation of school hearing screening programmes in other districts.

Item generation for a proxy health related quality of life measure in very young children.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Very young children have a relatively high prevalence of morbidity and mortality. Health care and supportive technology has improved but may require difficult choices and decisions regarding the allocation of these resources in this age group. Cost-effective analysis (CEA) can inform these decisions and thus measurement of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is becoming increasingly important. However, the components of HRQoL are likely to be specific to infants and young children. This study aimed to develop a bank of items to inform the possible development of a new proxy report instrument. METHODS: A review of the literature was done to define the concepts, generate items and identify measures that might be an appropriate starting point of reference. The items generated from the cognitive interviews and systematic review were subsequently pruned by experts in the field of HRQoL and paediatrics over two rounds of a Delphi study. RESULTS: Based on the input from the different sources, the greatest need for a new HRQoL measure was in the 0-3-year age group. The item pool identified from the literature consisted of 36 items which was increased to 53 items after the cognitive interviews. The ranking of items from the first round of the Delphi study pruned this pool to 28 items for consideration. The experts further reduced this pool to 15 items for consideration in the second round. The experts also recommended that items could be merged due to their similar nature or construct. This process allowed for further reduction of items to 11 items which showed content validity and no redundancy. CONCLUSION: The need for an instrument to measure appropriate aspects of HRQoL in infants and young children became apparent as items included in existing measures did not cover the required spectrum. The identification of the final items was based on a sound conceptual model, acceptability to stakeholders and consideration of the observability of the item selected. The pruned item bank of 11 items needs to be subject to further testing with the target population to ensure validity and reliability before a new measure can be developed.

Pharmacokinetics and other risk factors for kanamycin-induced hearing loss in patients with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.

Objective: The toxicity associated with the use of kanamycin includes irreversible hearing loss. There are limited data describing the relationship between hearing loss and kanamycin pharmacokinetics (PK). We explored the association of kanamycin PK with hearing loss in patients on MDR-TB treatment.Design: We prospectively recruited patients on kanamycin-based MDR-TB treatment in Cape Town. Hearing thresholds from 0.25 to 16 kHz were tested at baseline and at 4, 8 and 12 weeks. We determined kanamycin concentrations at steady-state in serial plasma samples over 10 h, and explored factors associated with hearing loss.Study sample: One hundred and two participants including 58 (56.9%) men had analysable audiometric data; median age was 34.9 years, 65 (63.7%) were HIV-positive, and 24 (23.5%) had been treated for MDR-TB previously.Results: Eighty-four participants (82.4%) developed hearing loss. We found a 3% (95% CI: 1-6%, p = 0.028) increased risk of cochleotoxicity for each 10 µg h/L increase in 0-10 h AUC.Conclusion: We describe a high incidence of hearing loss in MDR-TB patients treated with kanamycin, with higher AUC0-10 significantly associated with hearing loss.

Influence of the child's perceived general health on the primary caregiver's health status.

BACKGROUND: In estimating the impact of an intervention, ignoring the effect of improving the health of one member of the caregiver/child dyad on the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of the other member may lead to an underestimation of the utility gained. This may be particularly true for infants/young children and their caregivers. The aim of this study was to quantify the interaction between the child's perceived general health as assessed by the newly developed Toddler and Infant Questionnaire (TANDI) on the reporting of the caregiver's own HRQoL as assessed by the EQ-5D-3 L. METHODS: A sample of 187 caregivers participated. A total of 60 caregivers of acutely-ill (AI) and 60 caregivers of chronically-ill (CI) children were recruited from a children's hospital. The 67 caregivers of general population (GP) children were recruited at a pre-school. Each caregiver completed the proxy rating of their child's HRQoL on the TANDI (The TANDI is an experimental HRQoL instrument, modelled on the EQ-5D-Y proxy, for children aged 1-36 months), which comprises of six dimensions of health and a rating of general health on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The caregiver completed the EQ-5D-3 L, a self-report measure of their own HRQoL. Forward stepwise regression models were developed with 1) the VAS score of the caregiver and 2) the VAS score of the child as dependent variables. The independent variables for the caregiver included dummy variables for the presence or absence of problems on the EQ-5D-3 L and the VAS score of the child. The independent variables for the child included dummy variables for each TANDI dimension and the VAS of the caregiver. RESULTS: The TANDI results indicated that in five of the six dimensions AI children had more problems than the other two groups and the GP children were reported to have a significantly higher VAS than the other two groups. The child's VAS was significantly correlated with the caregiver's VAS in all groups, but most strongly in the AI group. The preference based scores (using the UK TTO tariff) were only correlated in the AI group. The inclusion of the child's VAS increased the variance accounted for 11% of the VAS score of the caregiver. Anxiety and depression was the only dimension which accounted for more variance (18%). Similarly the perceived health state, VAS of the caregiver accounted for 14% of the variance in the child's VAS, second only to problems with play (25%). CONCLUSION: There does indeed appear to be a strong relationship between the VAS scores of the children and their caregivers. The perceived general health of the child influences the caregivers reporting of their general health, more than their own report of experiencing pain or discomfort or problems with mobility. Thus, improving the HRQoL of the very young child may improve the caregiver's HRQoL as well. Conversely, if the caregiver has a lower perceived HRQoL this may result in a decrement in the reported VAS of the child, independent of the presence or absence of problems in the different dimensions. This improvement is not currently captured by Cost Utility Analysis (CUA). It is recommended that future research investigates this effect with regards to CUA calculations.

Using Top-down and Bottom-up Costing Approaches in LMICs: The Case for Using Both to Assess the Incremental Costs of New Technologies at Scale.

PURPOSE: Estimating the incremental costs of scaling-up novel technologies in low-income and middle-income countries is a methodologically challenging and substantial empirical undertaking, in the absence of routine cost data collection. We demonstrate a best practice pragmatic approach to estimate the incremental costs of new technologies in low-income and middle-income countries, using the example of costing the scale-up of Xpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)/resistance to riframpicin (RIF) in South Africa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We estimate costs, by applying two distinct approaches of bottom-up and top-down costing, together with an assessment of processes and capacity. RESULTS: The unit costs measured using the different methods of bottom-up and top-down costing, respectively, are $US16.9 and $US33.5 for Xpert MTB/RIF, and $US6.3 and $US8.5 for microscopy. The incremental cost of Xpert MTB/RIF is estimated to be between $US14.7 and $US17.7. While the average cost of Xpert MTB/RIF was higher than previous studies using standard methods, the incremental cost of Xpert MTB/RIF was found to be lower. CONCLUSION: Costs estimates are highly dependent on the method used, so an approach, which clearly identifies resource-use data collected from a bottom-up or top-down perspective, together with capacity measurement, is recommended as a pragmatic approach to capture true incremental cost where routine cost data are scarce.

Cost per patient of treatment for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis in a community-based programme in Khayelitsha, South Africa.

OBJECTIVES: The high cost of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) treatment hinders treatment access. South Africa has a high RR-TB burden, and national policy outlines decentralisation to improve access and reduce costs. We analysed health system costs associated with RR-TB treatment by drug resistance profile and treatment outcome in a decentralised programme. METHODS: Retrospective, routinely collected patient-level data were combined with unit cost data to determine costs for each patient in a cohort treated between January 2009 and December 2011. Drug costs were based on recommended regimens according to drug resistance and treatment duration. Hospitalisation costs were estimated based on admission/discharge dates, while clinic visit and diagnostic/monitoring costs were estimated according to recommendations and treatment duration. Missing data were imputed. RESULTS: Among 467 patients (72% HIV infected), 49% were successfully treated. Treatment was initiated in primary care for 62%, with the remainder as inpatients. The mean cost per patient treated was $7916 (range 260-87,140), ranging from $5369 among patients who did not complete treatment to $23,006 for treatment failure. Mean cost for successful treatment was $8359 (2585-32,506). Second-line drug resistance was associated with a mean cost of $15,567 vs. $6852 for only first-line resistance, with the major cost difference due to hospitalisation. Costs are reported in 2013 USD. CONCLUSIONS: RR-TB treatment cost was high and varied according to treatment outcome. Despite decentralisation, hospitalisation remained a significant cost, particularly among those with more extensive resistance and those with treatment failure. These cost estimates can be used to model the impact of new interventions to improve patient outcomes.

Mapping neonatal hearing screening services in Cape Town metro: A situational analysis.

BACKGROUND:  Childhood hearing loss is a global health concern. Despite the proven benefits of neonatal hearing screening (NHS), it is not yet mandated in South Africa. The lack of awareness of hearing loss and absence of NHS leads to delayed diagnosis and adverse developmental outcomes for affected children. AIM:  The study aimed to assess the availability of NHS services across primary healthcare (PHC) facilities in the City of Cape Town (CCT). SETTING:  Surveys were conducted with 26 PHC facilities in the CCT metropolitan areas that offer mother and child healthcare services. METHODS:  Surveys gathered data through online and telephone methods. The surveys aimed to assess the availability and nature of NHS services, care pathways and training of healthcare professionals regarding NHS. RESULTS:  None of the facilities used objective screening methods to screen hearing or have standardised care pathways for at-risk babies. Instead, they relied on parental concerns, with the use of the Road to Health book. None of the respondents reported having received hearing screening training, and the majority of participants (62%) lacked confidence in their knowledge of ear and hearing care. CONCLUSION:  The absence of NHS services highlights the need for standardised protocols and increased awareness among healthcare workers and caregivers. Implementing NHS services could facilitate earlier diagnosis and intervention of hearing loss for infants in the Western Cape.Contribution: This study's findings could guide efforts to improving access to NHS access at PHC level in Cape Town, ultimately providing early hearing screening services to infants.

Protocol for a comparative cross-sectional study on characterisation of auditory impairment in sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait and its impact on health-related quality of life in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Sickle cell disease (SCD) and sickle cell traits (SCT) are genetically inherited red blood cell disorders common among people of African descent. Nigeria has a high prevalence of SCD, with a prevalence of 2.28%-3% and SCT, 25%-30%. Poorly managed SCD and SCT can lead to sensorineural hearing loss and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) issues. This research aims to assess these possible complications of SCD and SCT in Nigeria. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study will use a comparative cross-sectional design at study power 80% to investigate the association between SCD/SCT, hearing impairment and HRQoL. Participants will be divided into two groups: a cohort and a control group. Hearing levels will be assessed through audiometric assessments and categorised by type and severity of hearing impairments using WHO classifications. HRQoL will also be assessed using WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. Statistical analyses will be performed using the SAS V.9.4, with parametric or non-parametric analysis depending on the distribution. Relationship between key variables will be determined via correlational tests, χ2, Fisher's exact test and multivariable logistic regression analyses. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The proposal has been fully reviewed and registered by the University of Cape Town's Faculty of Health Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC REF 228/2022) and the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/PR/2020/08/007). Information dissemination will be through conferences, peer-review publication and personal communications. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement will be followed in writing the manuscript.

Vuvuzela media coverage during the 2010 FIFA soccer world cup tournament: impact on raising awareness of noise-induced hearing loss.

Hearing loss, most specifically noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) due to exposure to vuvuzela noise, received extended media coverage before and during the 2010 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) soccer world cup tournament. This study aimed to evaluate the impact that this media coverage had on raising awareness about NIHL due to exposure to vuvuzela noise at soccer matches among South African soccer spectators. A descriptive survey study, using a 24-item, self-administered questionnaire was used for this study. One hundred and forty seven (147) soccer spectators were surveyed before (N1 =73) and after (N2 =74) the tournament. Systematic sampling strategy was used to select the participants. Participants completed the questionnaire before the start of matches. Sixteen percent of the participants surveyed reported having had some media exposure about NIHL due to exposure to vuvuzela noise during soccer matches before the tournament in comparison to 26% of the participants after the tournament. This increase in the level of awareness was not statistically significant. Further, most participants were still not aware of the risk of NIHL to them from exposure to excessive noise during matches and did not consider hearing loss from noise exposure during soccer matches a serious concern both before and after the tournament. The results of this study therefore seem to suggest that vuvuzela media coverage during the 2010 FIFA soccer world cup tournament did not significantly raise the level of awareness about NIHL due to exposure to excessive noise during matches among the spectators surveyed.

Vuvuzelas at South African soccer matches: risks for spectators' hearing.

South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches are known worldwide as some of the noisiest recreational events. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to i) measure noise levels during different PSL matches; ii) measure changes in auditory function after attending PSL matches; and iii) determine the factors that increase the risk of overexposure to noise during PSL matches. The study used a descriptive quantitative analytical pre- and post-exposure design. Participants (n = 19, and n = 10) attended two PSL matches. Each participant's auditory function was assessed using distortion product oto-acoustic emissions (DPOAEs) before and after attending a PSL match. Peak and equivalent continuous noise levels as well as noise dose were measured during each match. Noise levels recorded during the poorly attended Match 1 were lesser than those of the well-attended Match 2. Participants attending Match 2 had statistically significant reduction in their DPOAE amplitudes after the match (P = 0.003) than those attending Match 1. Vuvuzela blowers and participants seated within 1 m from them were most at risk of harm to their hearing with significant reduction in DPOAE amplitudes post the match (P = 0.002 and P = 0.008, respectively). It was therefore concluded that noise levels at well-attended South African PSL matches pose a significant risk to spectators' auditory function as shown by reduced DPOAE amplitude post match attendance. Three risk factors for overexposure to noise during the match were identified: blowing the vuvuzela, close proximity to the individual blowing the vuvuzela as well as spectator turnout at the match.

Patterns of noise exposure and prevalence of hearing loss amongst Cape Town Minstrel Carnival musicians.

BACKGROUND: Cape Town Minstrel Carnival is one of the oldest and most authentic indigenous New Year's customs in South Africa. Musicians who perform at this carnival are exposed to excessively loud music and therefore at a risk of acquiring noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine patterns of exposure to loud music and prevalence of hearing loss amongst Cape Town Minstrel Carnival musicians. METHOD: A descriptive, observational exploratory survey design was used and 43 participants (21 males and 22 females; mean age, 21 ± 9 years) took part in this study. Sound level measurements were conducted to assess musicians' sound exposure during rehearsals and performances. All participants underwent the following audiological test battery at least 2 h before music exposure: Case history, otoscopic examination, tympanometry, pure tone audiometry and distortion products otoacoustic emission (DPOAE). RESULTS: Average noise levels recorded were 86 dBA during rehearsals and 98.7 dBA at performances and average durations of exposure were 240 and 10 min at rehearsals and performances, respectively. One out of 43 (1/43) participants presented with sensorineural hearing loss. Audiometric results of the remaining participants were normal and did not show a pattern suggestive of NIHL. A high proportion of participants (21/43) reported experiencing tinnitus. CONCLUSION: Despite being exposed to high levels of noise, there was a low prevalence of hearing loss amongst these musicians. However, a high proportion of them reported tinnitus, which could be an indication that they were at a high risk of NIHL from the music that they played.

Contextually appropriate school entry hearing screening protocol for low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where universal newborn hearing screening programmes are often not available, school entry hearing screening programmes serve as a safeguard for early detection and intervention for hearing loss in school learners. OBJECTIVE: To determine a contextually appropriate school entry hearing screening protocol for LMICs. METHODS: A scoping review was utilised to comprehensively search for relevant publications in the following electronic databases: Africa-Wide Information, CINAHL, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, Cochrane Library, Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies included those that investigated school-based hearing screening protocols or programmes for LMICs among learners aged five to twelve years. The review was conducted and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. RESULTS: The search yielded 1863 studies, and after removing duplicates and ineligible studies, 19 studies were selected for data extraction. Pure tone audiometry screening was the most frequently used age-appropriate hearing screening test in the reviewed studies (n = 17). Conducting pure tone audiometry screening using 1, 2, and 4 kHz frequency combination resulted in referral rates ranging from 3.2% to 21%. In studies that included 0.5 kHz to the screening frequencies, referral rates ranged from 5.8% to 56%. Screening at 25 dB HL intensity level yielded referral rates ranging from 3.2% to 10.3%. Immediate rescreening reduced overall referral rates for learners referred for audiological diagnostic testing by up to 57%. Ambient noise levels were controlled by conducting screening in quiet rooms (n = 14) and utilising screening equipment that allows for monitoring and reducing environmental noise (n = 3). CONCLUSION: An ideal school entry hearing screening protocol in LMIC contexts could potentially utilise pure tone audiometry screening at 1, 2, and 4 kHz, using 25 dB HL screening intensity level with an immediate rescreen for learners with a refer result. School entry hearing screening should be conducted in a quiet room, preferably using hearing screening equipment capable of monitoring ambient noise levels to reduce false positive referrals.

Strengthening health systems to improve the value of tuberculosis diagnostics in South Africa: A cost and cost-effectiveness analysis.

BACKGROUND: In South Africa, replacing smear microscopy with Xpert-MTB/RIF (Xpert) for tuberculosis diagnosis did not reduce mortality and was cost-neutral. The unchanged mortality has been attributed to suboptimal Xpert implementation. We developed a mathematical model to explore how complementary investments may improve cost-effectiveness of the tuberculosis diagnostic algorithm. METHODS: Complementary investments in the tuberculosis diagnostic pathway were compared to the status quo. Investment scenarios following an initial Xpert test included actions to reduce pre-treatment loss-to-follow-up; supporting same-day clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis after a negative result; and improving access to further tuberculosis diagnostic tests following a negative result. We estimated costs, deaths and disability-adjusted-life-years (DALYs) averted from provider and societal perspectives. Sensitivity analyses explored the mediating influence of behavioural, disease- and organisational characteristics on investment effectiveness. FINDINGS: Among a cohort of symptomatic patients tested for tuberculosis, with an estimated active tuberculosis prevalence of 13%, reducing pre-treatment loss-to-follow-up from ~20% to ~0% led to a 4% (uncertainty interval [UI] 3; 4%) reduction in mortality compared to the Xpert scenario. Improving access to further tuberculosis diagnostic tests from ~4% to 90% among those with an initial negative Xpert result reduced overall mortality by 28% (UI 27; 28) at $39.70/ DALY averted. Effectiveness of investment scenarios to improve access to further diagnostic tests was dependent on a high return rate for follow-up visits. INTERPRETATION: Investing in direct and indirect costs to support the TB diagnostic pathway is potentially highly cost-effective.

How do children at special schools and their parents perceive their HRQoL compared to children at open schools?

BACKGROUND: There has been some debate in the past as to who should determine values for different health states for economic evaluation. The aim of this study was to compare the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in children attending open schools (OS) and children with disabilities attending a special school (SS) and their parents in Cape Town South Africa. METHODS: The EQ-5D-Y and a proxy version were administered to the children and their parents were requested to fill in the EQ-5D-Y proxy version without consultation with their children on the same day. RESULTS: A response rate of over 20% resulted in 567 sets of child/adult responses from OS children and 61 responses from SS children. Children with special needs reported more problems in the "Mobility" and "Looking after myself" domains but their scores with regard to "Doing usual activities", "Pain or discomfort" and "Worried, sad or unhappy" were similar to their typically developing counterparts. The mean Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score of SS children was (88.4, SD18.3, range 40-100) which was not different to the mean score of the OS respondents (87.9, SD16.5, range 5-100).The association between adult and child scores was fair to moderate in the domains. The correlations in VAS scores between Open Schools children and female care-givers' scores significant but low (r = .33, p < .001) and insignificant between Special School children and adult (r = .16, p = .24). DISCUSSION: It would appear that children with disabilities do not perceive their HRQoL to be worse than their able bodied counterparts, although they do recognise their limitations in the domains of "Mobility" and "Doing usual activities". CONCLUSIONS: This finding lends weight to the argument that valuation of health states by children affected by these health states should not be included for the purpose of economic analysis as the child's resilience might result in better values for health states and possibly a correspondingly smaller resource allocation. Conversely, if HRQoL is to be used as a clinical outcome, then it is preferable to include the children's values as proxy report does not appear to be highly correlated with the child's own perceptions.

Validity and reliability testing of the Toddler and Infant (TANDI) Health Related Quality of Life instrument for very young children.

BACKGROUND: Despite the high burden of disease in younger children there are few tools specifically designed to estimate Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in children younger than 3 years of age. A previous paper described the process of identifying a pool of items which might be suitable for measuring HRQoL of children aged 0-3 years. The current paper describes how the items were pruned and the final draft of the measure, Toddler and Infant (TANDI) Health Related Quality of Life, was tested for validity and reliability. METHODS: A sample of 187 caregivers of children 1-36 months of age were recruited which included children who were either acutely ill (AI), chronically ill (CI) or from the general school going population (GP). The TANDI, an experimental version of the EQ-5D-Y proxy, included six dimensions with three levels of report and general health measured on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from 0 to 100. The content validity had been established during the development of the instrument. The TANDI, Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), Faces, Leg, Activity, Cry, Consolabilty (FLACC) or Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) and a self-designed dietary information questionnaire were administered at baseline. The TANDI was administered 1 week later in GP children to establish test-retest reliability. The distribution of dimension scores, Cronbach's alpha, rotated varimax factor analysis, Spearman's Rho Correlation, the intraclass correlation coefficient, Pearson's correlation, analysis of variance and regression analysis were used to explore the reliability, and validity of the TANDI. RESULTS: Concurrent validity of the different dimensions was tested between the TANDI and other instruments. The Spearman's Rho coefficients were significant and moderate to strong for dimensions of activity and participation and significant and weak for items of body functions. Known groups were compared and children with acute illness had the lowest ranked VAS (median 60, range 0-100), indicating worse HRQoL. The six dimensions of the TANDI were tested for internal consistency and reliability and the Cronbach's α as 0.83. Test-retest results showed no variance for dimension scores of movement and play, and high agreement for pain (83%), relationships (87%), communication (83%) and eating (74%). The scores were highly correlated for the VAS (ICC = 0.76; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The TANDI was found to be valid and reliable for use with children aged 1-36 months in South Africa. It is recommended that the TANDI be included in future research to further investigate HRQoL and the impact of interventions in this vulnerable age group. It is further recommended that future testing be done to assess the feasibility, clinical utility, and cross-cultural validity of the measure and to include international input in further development.

Rehabilitation for disabling hearing loss: evaluating the need relative to provision of hearing aids in the public health care system.

Purpose: To determine the demand relative to supply of hearing rehabilitation through hearing aids for those with disabling hearing loss in a public health care setting in South Africa. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional survey of medical records of all patients were seen at a public hospital (Polokwane Provincial Academic) during 2012-2014, was conducted. Audiological data from 3894 medical folders were accessed and reviewed; thereafter, results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Of the 3894 medical folders reviewed, two-third (62%, n = 2402) were diagnosed with hearing loss, mostly bilaterally (81%). More than 30% of all patients diagnosed with hearing loss were ≤10 years old. Sensorineural (permanent) hearing loss was diagnosed most often (38%, n = 913) and 74% (n = 1778) of hearing losses diagnosed were of moderate or worse severity (i.e., disabling loss). Hearing aids were fitted to only 15% (n = 272) of those diagnosed with disabling hearing loss and most hearing aid fittings were to low-income adult patients (≥25 years old) with more severe-profound hearing losses. Conclusions: This study showed that the need for hearing aids to provide hearing rehabilitation far exceeds the supply. Therefore, a multi-pronged approach that includes increased budget allocation and exploring low-cost interventions for developing countries to meet the demand for hearing aids. Furthermore, study highlighted a high prevalence of hearing loss in those younger than 10 years of age, and thus highlights the need for early intervention as well as intensifying efforts to reduce preventable causes of hearing loss. Implications for Rehabilitation Audiologists need to advocate for an increase in budget allocation for hearing rehabilitation devices. Study indicates need to explore low-cost hearing devices/rehabilitation interventions for developing countries. Health professionals should consider preventative measures to reduce prevalence of preventable hearing loss.

Statistical factors associated with utilisation of ototoxicity monitoring services for multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis patients in the Western Cape.

BACKGROUND:  South Africa is a high-burden multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) country. Previously, standard MDR-TB treatment regimen in South Africa included kanamycin, an aminoglycoside, which can cause permanent hearing loss in patients. South African National Tuberculosis Control programme's guidelines for the management of patients with MDR-TB were revised in 2011 to support outpatient-based models. This, in turn, required reorganisation of ototoxicity monitoring services to support these new models of service delivery. OBJECTIVES:  The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with the utilisation of ototoxicity monitoring services for patients with MDR-TB who accessed treatment as outpatients. METHOD:  A retrospective review of medical records of patients who attended ototoxicity monitoring clinic at a central TB hospital in Cape Town during 2012-2013 was conducted. A total of 801 medical folders were reviewed: 415 (51.8%) males and 386 (48.2%) females, median age 37 (range 7-85) years. RESULTS:  Ten per cent of patients attended all the recommended six-monthly appointments. Patients who presented with hearing loss at baseline or developed hearing loss after treatment initiation were more likely to attend their appointments. Patients were also more likely to attend their appointments if a baseline audiometric assessment was conducted within 1 month of MDR-TB treatment initiation. CONCLUSION:  This study revealed that outpatient-based ototoxicity monitoring services were largely underutilised by patients. Development of hearing loss and prompt determination of a baseline audiogram were associated with a higher likelihood of attendance of ototoxicity monitoring appointments. Therefore, utilisation of outpatient-based ototoxicity monitoring services is likely to be improved by identifying patients early and monitoring them closely.

Knowledge of final year medicine, pharmacy, audiology and nursing students in South Africa on drug-induced ototoxicity: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: There is a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis (TB), cancer and malaria in South Africa, and the drugs used to treat these conditions can be ototoxic. It is therefore important that healthcare professionals are able to identify and understand these drugs and their effects to ensure effective care of the patient. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the knowledge regarding pharmacotherapy-induced ototoxicity amongst final year, medicine, pharmacy, audiology and nursing students across South African universities. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used, and data were collected via a self-administered online questionnaire. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to identify the participants at the universities which train audiologists, pharmacists, medical and nursing students. RESULTS: An overall response rate of 41% (n = 720) was obtained. Sixty-four per cent (n = 461) of respondents were women (median age: 23 years). The majority of the respondents (95%) knew what pharmacotherapy-induced ototoxicity was, but a few (39%) knew the general signs and symptoms of ototoxicity. Furthermore, just less than half of the sample (48%) could identify the specific ototoxic medicines and the type of damage caused by this medication. CONCLUSION: To manage pharmacotherapy-induced ototoxicity effectively, a multidisciplinary healthcare team must have sufficient knowledge about ototoxicity. Therefore, efforts should be made to introduce extensively concepts of pharmacotherapy-induced ototoxicity into the undergraduate curricula of pharmacy, medical, nursing and audiology programmes.

Cost-effectiveness of Xpert MTB/RIF for tuberculosis diagnosis in South Africa: a real-world cost analysis and economic evaluation.

BACKGROUND: In 2010 a new diagnostic test for tuberculosis, Xpert MTB/RIF, received a conditional programmatic recommendation from WHO. Several model-based economic evaluations predicted that Xpert would be cost-effective across sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated the cost-effectiveness of Xpert in the real world during national roll-out in South Africa. METHODS: For this real-world cost analysis and economic evaluation, we applied extensive primary cost and patient event data from the XTEND study, a pragmatic trial examining Xpert introduction for people investigated for tuberculosis in 40 primary health facilities (20 clusters) in South Africa enrolled between June 8, and Nov 16, 2012, to estimate the costs and cost per disability-adjusted life-year averted of introducing Xpert as the initial diagnostic test for tuberculosis, compared with sputum smear microscopy (the standard of care). FINDINGS: The mean total cost per study participant for tuberculosis investigation and treatment was US$312·58 (95% CI 252·46-372·70) in the Xpert group and $298·58 (246·35-350·82) in the microscopy group. The mean health service (provider) cost per study participant was $168·79 (149·16-188·42) for the Xpert group and $160·46 (143·24-177·68) for the microscopy group of the study. Considering uncertainty in both cost and effect using a wide range of willingness to pay thresholds, we found less than 3% probability that Xpert introduction improved the cost-effectiveness of tuberculosis diagnostics. INTERPRETATION: After analysing extensive primary data collection during roll-out, we found that Xpert introduction in South Africa was cost-neutral, but found no evidence that Xpert improved the cost-effectiveness of tuberculosis diagnosis. Our study highlights the importance of considering implementation constraints, when predicting and evaluating the cost-effectiveness of new tuberculosis diagnostics in South Africa. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.