Ear and hearing care programs for First Nations children: a scoping review

• Published in: BMC Health Services Research
• Main Authors: Nash, Kai, Macniven, Rona, Clague, Liesa, Coates, Harvey, Fitzpatrick, Mark, Gunasekera, Hasantha, Gwynne, Kylie, Halvorsen, Luke, Harkus, Samantha, Holt, Leanne, Lumby, Noeleen, Neal, Katie, Orr, Neil, Pellicano, Elizabeth, Rambaldini, Boe, McMahon, Catherine
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: BioMed Central 2023
• Subjects: Research; First Nations
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10116763/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37076841; https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09338-2

BACKGROUND: Ear and hearing care programs are critical to early detection and management of otitis media (or middle ear disease). Otitis media and associated hearing loss disproportionately impacts First Nations children. This affects speech and language development, social and cognitive development and, in turn, education and life outcomes. This scoping review aimed to better understand how ear and hearing care programs for First Nations children in high-income colonial-settler countries aimed to reduce the burden of otitis media and increase equitable access to care. Specifically, the review aimed to chart program strategies, map the focus of each program against 4 parts of a care pathway (prevention, detection, diagnosis/management, rehabilitation), and to identify the factors that indicated the longer-term sustainability and success of programs. METHOD: A database search was conducted in March 2021 using Medline, Embase, Global Health, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, and Academic Search Premier. Programs were eligible or inclusion if they had either been developed or run at any time between January 2010 to March 2021. Search terms encompassed terms such as First Nations children, ear and hearing care, and health programs, initiatives, campaigns, and services. RESULTS: Twenty-seven articles met the criteria to be included in the review and described a total of twenty-one ear and hearing care programs. Programs employed strategies to: (i) connect patients to specialist services, (ii) improve cultural safety of services, and (iii) increase access to ear and hearing care services. However, program evaluation measures were limited to outputs or the evaluation of service-level outcome, rather than patient-based outcomes. Factors which contributed to program sustainability included funding and community involvement although these were limited in many cases. CONCLUSION: The result of this study highlighted that programs primarily operate at two points along the care pathway—detection ...