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Background <p>Over the past two decades, Chile has undertaken numerous initiatives to reform its healthcare system. However, health equity is influenced by factors beyond the healthcare system. Particularly in hearing health, the access to hearing loss treatment has been reported as hampered at many levels. This scoping review aimed to map the available evidence on hearing health to identify local determinants and barriers that may contribute to disparities in access to treatment for hearing loss in Chile.</p> Methods <p>The Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for scoping reviews was followed. The PCC mnemonic (Population, Concept, and Context) was used to guide the development of the search strategy. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE via PubMed, Cochrane and Science Direct databases, limited to publications from 2000 to June 2025, with no language nor type of publication restrictions, and was supplemented by manual search. Two independent reviewers screened all retrieved references, assessed the eligibility, and charted data of the eligible publications. Disagreements were solved through discussion with a third reviewer. Basic content analysis was used to identify the local determinants and barriers in access to hearing loss treatment, which were narratively described and presented along visual summary tools.</p> Results <p>Of the 940 unique records identified for screening, the full text of 135 publications were assessed and 50 were included in the review. The principal determinants of hearing care were identified as age, and type and degree of hearing loss. Individuals with severe to profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss have access to appropriate treatment at any stage of their lives through publicly funded programs. However, youth and adults with mixed or conductive hearing loss do not have a clear pathway to rehabilitation. Barriers to accessing hearing care services in Chile included lower education and income levels, unemployment, limited awareness of treatment options, insufficient family or social support, and residing in remote areas.</p> Conclusion <p>Despite public health advancements in providing hearing loss treatment, gaps persist in certain populations. Reducing these disparities requires improving access to services, expanding hearing screening, and providing hearing technologies across all ages and for all types and degrees of hearing loss.</p>

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Equal access to treatment for hearing loss in Chile: do all people have the same opportunities to receive appropriate treatment? A scoping review

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月22日

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  • Francesca Scandurra,
  • Erica A. Suzumura,
  • Christina Schwarz,
  • Michael Urban

摘要

Background

Over the past two decades, Chile has undertaken numerous initiatives to reform its healthcare system. However, health equity is influenced by factors beyond the healthcare system. Particularly in hearing health, the access to hearing loss treatment has been reported as hampered at many levels. This scoping review aimed to map the available evidence on hearing health to identify local determinants and barriers that may contribute to disparities in access to treatment for hearing loss in Chile.

Methods

The Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for scoping reviews was followed. The PCC mnemonic (Population, Concept, and Context) was used to guide the development of the search strategy. Searches were conducted in MEDLINE via PubMed, Cochrane and Science Direct databases, limited to publications from 2000 to June 2025, with no language nor type of publication restrictions, and was supplemented by manual search. Two independent reviewers screened all retrieved references, assessed the eligibility, and charted data of the eligible publications. Disagreements were solved through discussion with a third reviewer. Basic content analysis was used to identify the local determinants and barriers in access to hearing loss treatment, which were narratively described and presented along visual summary tools.

Results

Of the 940 unique records identified for screening, the full text of 135 publications were assessed and 50 were included in the review. The principal determinants of hearing care were identified as age, and type and degree of hearing loss. Individuals with severe to profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss have access to appropriate treatment at any stage of their lives through publicly funded programs. However, youth and adults with mixed or conductive hearing loss do not have a clear pathway to rehabilitation. Barriers to accessing hearing care services in Chile included lower education and income levels, unemployment, limited awareness of treatment options, insufficient family or social support, and residing in remote areas.

Conclusion

Despite public health advancements in providing hearing loss treatment, gaps persist in certain populations. Reducing these disparities requires improving access to services, expanding hearing screening, and providing hearing technologies across all ages and for all types and degrees of hearing loss.