Evaluation of a teleaudiology service in regional Australia

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate accessibility, effectiveness, acceptability and efficiency of a student- assisted teleaudiology model of care in a regional hospital in Queensland, Australia. DESIGN: Prospective mixed method service evaluation study. STUDY SAMPLE: Demographic, service and satisfaction data were collected from 233 patients (children aged ≥5 and adults) who received teleaudiology assessment. Satisfaction data was collected from 27 hospital clinic staff (medical, nursing and clinic assistants) and 28 university audiology clinical educator participants. Experience and satisfaction data were collected from 16 teleaudiology clinic university students. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS software. Qualitative data were analysed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Following introduction of the teleaudiology service in 2017 and evaluation during the first 6 months, 95% of patients were able to access audiology assessments on the same day as their Ear, Nose and Throat appointments. New referrals to the service were seen within a month. The audiology assessment battery was completed 95% of the time within an average of 33 minutes by the end of the study period. Patients, hospital and university staff and students reported high satisfaction with their experiences of teleaudiology, including its convenience and efficiency. CONCLUSIONS: A student-assisted teleaudiology model of care can deliver accessible, effective, and efficient services with high levels of satisfaction by participants.