Identification of Hearing Impairment in People with a Learning Disability: From Questioning to Testing

Nurses were questioned about the level of hearing impairment in the population (353) living in a hospital for people with learning disability. Systematic hearing assessments were then carried out on 324 individuals yielding a fourfold increase in identification. Methodological improvements over previous studies include specialised audiology facilities and equipment and staff experience in testing this special group. If hearing impairment is recognised and dealt with the potential for improvements in quality of life is considerable.