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Applying U.S. national guidelines for ototoxicity monitoring in adult patients: Perspectives on patient populations, service gaps, barriers and solutions
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To promote establishment of more uniformly effective ototoxicity monitoring programs (OMPs), this report reviews the U.S. national audiology guidelines in relation to “real world” OMP application. A secondary aim is to review the mechanisms, risk and clinical presentation of hearing loss associated with major classes of ototoxic medications. DESIGN: This is a non-systematic review using PubMed, national and international agency websites, personal communications between ototoxicity experts, and results of unpublished research. Examples are provided of OMPs in various healthcare settings within the U.S. civilian sector, Department of Defense (DoD), and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). STUDY SAMPLE: The five OMPs compared in this report represent a convenience sample of the programs with which the authors are affiliated. Their opinions were elicited via two semi-structured teleconferences on barriers and facilitators of OMP, followed by a self-administered questionnaire on OMP characteristics and practices, with responses synthesized and tabulated herein. Preliminary results are provided from an ongoing VA clinical trial at one of these OMP sites. Participants were 40 VA patients who received cisplatin chemotherapy in 2014-2017. The study arms contrast access to care for OMP delivered on the treatment unit versus usual care as provided in the audiology clinic. RESULTS: Protocols of the OMPs examined vary, reflecting the diverse settings in which they exist. Service delivery concerns included baseline tests missed or completed after the initial treatment, and monitoring tests done infrequently or only after cessation of treatment. Perceived barriers involved logistics related to accessing and testing patients, such as a lack of processes to help patients enter programs, patients’ time and scheduling constraints, and inconvenient audiology clinic locations. Most sites routinely used abbreviated or screening methods to facilitate monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: The most effective OMPs integrated audiological management into the care pathways of the clinical specialties that prescribe ototoxic medications. More OMP guidance is needed to inform evaluation schedules, outcome reporting, and determination of an actionable ototoxic change. Guidance is also lacking on the potential use of hearing conservation approaches suitable for the mass testing needed to support large-scale OMP efforts. Guideline adherence might improve with formal endorsement from the organizations governing medical specialty stakeholders in OMP such as medical oncologists, pulmonologists, infectious disease specialists, and ototolaryngologists.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Linguistics and Language
medicine.medical_specialty
Adolescent
Hearing loss
Veterans Health
chemical and pharmacologic phenomena
Audiology
complex mixtures
Risk Assessment
Language and Linguistics
Article
03 medical and health sciences
Speech and Hearing
Young Adult
0302 clinical medicine
Ototoxicity
Hearing
Risk Factors
medicine
Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems
Animals
Humans
Program Development
030223 otorhinolaryngology
Hearing Loss
Military Medicine
Service (business)
Adult patients
business.industry
Middle Aged
bacterial infections and mycoses
medicine.disease
United States Department of Defense
Professional Practice Gaps
United States
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
030220 oncology & carcinogenesis
Practice Guidelines as Topic
bacteria
medicine.symptom
Drug Monitoring
business
Program Evaluation
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....727bd57970cbe2812b27e29eac83d2ce