Audiology, a healthcare specialty as necessary as it is unknown

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  • The Faculty of Medicine of the UVic-UCC is ready to offer the new degree in General Audiology from academic year 2023-2024. It will be the first university in Catalonia and Spain to offer this qualification.
  • The degree will train professionals specialised in auditory function. It will be based on a syllabus taught in blended mode, which will consist of 240 credits spread over four academic years.

Thomas Edison, Francisco de Goya, Alexander Graham Bell or Ludwig van Beethoven were brilliant figures in their respective professional fields, despite having in common that they suffered from deafness. The German composer even considered suicide, as he revealed in his will, but the conviction that he had much to contribute in the music field made him desist. Hearing impairment is no small matter. It affects the quality of personal and professional life of many people. A recent study by the World Health Organization estimates that 466 million people worldwide (6.1% of the population) suffer from hearing loss and that this number will increase to 630 million by 2030 and up to 900 million by 2050.

The progressive aging of society and the increase in life expectancy make it likely that in the future in Catalonia and Spain there will be an increase in hearing problems in the population. With the passing of years, some people’s sensitivity to certain types of sounds decreases, which makes it difficult for them to follow a conversation normally and, consequently, they need to use hearing aids or corrective devices. Among the young population, the use of personal audio devices and frequent exposure to environments with noise levels above 80 dB are other situations to consider, since it is estimated that 50% of people between the ages of 12 and 35 are at risk of hearing loss. Notably, cochlear implant surgeries are increasing every year in Europe. Cochlear implants are electronic devices that transform acoustic signals into electrical signals that stimulate the auditory nerve.

Current shortfalls in audiology

In this context, in the public and private sector, there is a lack of professionals who are experts in the assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of the hearing function. Furthermore, staff who carry out audiometry examinations do not have the training or knowledge to guarantee their reliability. Some of the current shortcomings are related to the negligible performance of speech audiometry tests in most Catalan hospitals, the need for early detection of hearing problems to prevent other pathologies, programming of cochlear implants carried out by technicians from distribution companies that sell the implants, and the lack of hearing rehabilitation services for adults and children. There is also a lack of guaranteed care for professional deafness, and assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of pathologies linked to balance, among others.

Today, in the Spanish state there are only three recognised professions linked to the auditory needs of the population: doctor specialising in otorhinolaryngology (diagnoses diseases of the ear that affect hearing, but does not treat auditory function), senior technician in prosthetic audiology (more focused on prostheses than auditory function, without covering needs such as balance and tinnitus) and speech therapist (treats people with hearing problems who have communication and language difficulties). Therefore, audiologists are expected to gain increasing relevance in the coming years, since they are the professionals who control auditory function, prevent and evaluate loss of the function, and indicate how mechanisms can be adapted to restore hearing. In some cases, audiologists also recommend the use of hearing aids, which are adapted by hearing aid specialists.

The training of specialists

To reverse the current situation and contribute to training specialized professionals, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) plans to start teaching the degree in General Audiology from academic year 2023-2024, pending authorization to start next year from the University Quality Agency (AQU) and the General Directorate of Universities. Thus, this university will become the first in Catalonia and Spain to offer this degree, endorsed by the Spanish Society of Otorhinolaryngology (SEORL-CCC) and in coordination with various entities and associations in Catalonia and Spain of deaf people and professionals in the sector.

"The new graduates in General Audiology will help make hearing health more visible and better"

Marina Geli, general director of the Foundation for Advanced Studies in Health Sciences (FESS), the body that owns the Faculty of Medicine, believes that the new graduates in General Audiology will respond to a growing social demand and "help to make visible and improve hearing health." "Audiologists will be professionals who in the coming years will join multidisciplinary medical and technological teams, which will make it possible to offer more comprehensive care." In addition, with the new degree in General Audiology, says Geli, "the UVic-UCC Faculty of Medicine is committed to promoting research and innovation together with the Institute for Research and Innovation in Life Sciences and of Health in Central Catalonia (IRIS-CC)."

"Audiologists will be professionals who in the coming years will join multidisciplinary medical and technological teams, which will make it possible to offer more comprehensive care"

The bachelor’s degree in General Audiology of the UVic-UCC, coordinated by Francesc Roca-Ribas, head of the Otorhinolaryngology Service at the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, will be taught in blended mode, since initially it is expected that most of the students will have previous degrees and/or be a working professional. The main bulk of the demand is expected to come from people with qualifications who have completed the higher degree training cycle in Prosthetic Audiology, which makes them eligible for direct access to university degrees. The bachelor’s degree in General Audiology, a qualification that will have a clinical and a technological component, will offer a total of 60 places. The syllabus will consist of 240 credits, which will be divided into four academic years and will include theoretical and practical training and external clinical practices in various health centres throughout Catalonia.

The teaching staff of the new degree in General Audiology, with a multidisciplinary approach, will come from almost all the faculties of the UVic-UCC. They will mainly be from the Faculty of Medicine and the faculties of Health Sciences and Welfare of the Vic and Manresa Campuses (in subjects such as anatomy, physiology, genetics, otorhinolaryngology, pharmacology, ethics and speech therapy) and from the Faculty of Education, Translation, Sport and Psychology (in subjects such as psychology and inclusive pedagogy) and from the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering of the UVic-UCC (in subjects such as physics, biotechnology, biomedicine and engineering), in addition to the Elisava Faculty of Design and Engineering.