Proposed Development of a New Staging System for Hearing Loss: Countermeasure 2 of the Hearing Health Collaborative

Hearing loss is a highly prevalent disease state affecting almost 1 in 5 individuals globally. Growing research shows that untreated or undertreated hearing loss carries significant long-term sequelae, including increased risk of social isolation, depression, and cognitive decline, among other ramifications. Limited awareness and common misperceptions among the general US adult population and primary care providers contribute to low rates of referral to hearing specialty clinics and underutilization of hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other rehabilitative devices. Comprised of diverse membership, the Hearing Health Collaborative (HHC) was formed in May 2021 to identify and overcome challenges impacting good health care practices and public policy on hearing care in connection with healthy aging. This editorial documents a recent outcome of the HHC derived from a structured A3 process. Specifically, initiative 2, a proposal to develop a simple, clinically anchored staging system primarily for use by frontline providers and patients, is presented. Unlike other common disorders that harbor long-term health sequelae, a corresponding pragmatic clinical staging system-leveraging precedent disease staging convention, based on clinically meaningful outcomes and prognosis for acquired hearing loss-does not exist. The development of this staging system will potentially allow for improved communication across providers and patients, facilitate referral pathways, and ultimately enable patient access to timely and appropriate care.

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Publication Details

Journal
Otology & Neurotology
Published
2025-12-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1097/mao.0000000000004700
Primary Topic
Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Proposed Development of a New Staging System for Hearing Loss: Countermeasure 2 of the Hearing Health Collaborative

Daniel M. Zeitler, Ashley M. Nassiri, Douglas P. Sladen, Meredith A. Holcomb et al.
Otology & Neurotology
Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation
article

Proposed Development of a New Staging System for Hearing Loss: Countermeasure 2 of the Hearing Health Collaborative

Daniel M. Zeitler, Ashley M. Nassiri, Douglas P. Sladen, Meredith A. Holcomb, Michael M. McKee, Teresa A. Zwolan, Christine M. Lohse, Erin L. Miller, Nicholas Simon Reed, Ardeshir Z. Hashmi, Samuel P. Gubbels, Jacob B. Hunter, John Tieben, Matthew L. Bush, Camille C. Dunn, Richard Klaus Gurgel, Barbara Kelley, Stephanie A. Moody-Antonio, Maura K. Cosetti, Bevan Yueh, Matthew L. Carlson, John P. Marinelli, Christopher Spankovich, Anna Maria Jilla, Sarah A. Sydlowski
article en

Abstract

Hearing loss is a highly prevalent disease state affecting almost 1 in 5 individuals globally. Growing research shows that untreated or undertreated hearing loss carries significant long-term sequelae, including increased risk of social isolation, depression, and cognitive decline, among other ramifications. Limited awareness and common misperceptions among the general US adult population and primary care providers contribute to low rates of referral to hearing specialty clinics and underutilization of hearing aids, cochlear implants, and other rehabilitative devices. Comprised of diverse membership, the Hearing Health Collaborative (HHC) was formed in May 2021 to identify and overcome challenges impacting good health care practices and public policy on hearing care in connection with healthy aging. This editorial documents a recent outcome of the HHC derived from a structured A3 process. Specifically, initiative 2, a proposal to develop a simple, clinically anchored staging system primarily for use by frontline providers and patients, is presented. Unlike other common disorders that harbor long-term health sequelae, a corresponding pragmatic clinical staging system-leveraging precedent disease staging convention, based on clinically meaningful outcomes and prognosis for acquired hearing loss-does not exist. The development of this staging system will potentially allow for improved communication across providers and patients, facilitate referral pathways, and ultimately enable patient access to timely and appropriate care.

Otology & NeurotologyVol. 47(2)
University of Akron (US), University of Iowa (US), University of Minnesota (US), Cleveland Clinic (US), Virginia Mason Medical Center (US), Mayo Clinic (US), University of Kentucky (US), Johns Hopkins University (US), University of Miami (US), Eastern Virginia Medical School (US), American Speech Language Hearing Association (US), University of Utah (US), University of Michigan (US), Lexington VA Health Care System (US), University of Mississippi Medical Center (US), Michigan Medicine (US), Mayo Clinic Health System (US), Mayo Clinic in Florida (US), University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (US), Western Washington University (US), New York University (US), The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (US), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (US), University of Colorado Denver (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 34%
Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation
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