ArticleHealth SA = SA Gesondheid2023
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on audiology services in South Africa: A preliminary study.
Article in Health SA = SA Gesondheid, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.
- Patient Perceptions of Delays in Audiology Services in Johannesburg: A Secondary Analysis of Waiting Times and Alternative Service Models.Journal of evaluation in clinical practice · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Hygiene-, work practices, travel, personal interactions and access to healthcare services changed for the majority of the world during the pandemic. Aim: This study aimed to discover the knowledge, impact and attitudes towards COVID-19 on the professional practices of public and private sector audiologists in South Africa. Setting: The study included 76 audiologists registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and employed in the public, educational, tertiary or private practice and private sector in South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional self-administered electronic survey study design was implemented. Results: Audiologists had appropriate knowledge regarding COVID-19. During hard lockdown, 69% of respondents saw less than 40% of their usual patient load, only 31% saw 60% - 100% of their usual patient load. During lower lockdown levels, majority of respondents (73.7%) saw 60% - 100% of their patient load while 26.3% still saw less than 40% of their usual patient load. Only hearing aid reprogramming, hearing aid trouble shooting, cochlear implant pre-counselling and adult hearing screening could be offered via tele-audiology. The main challenges faced were fear of infection, infection control measures in the workplace, accessibility and limited services provided during the various lockdown levels. Conclusion: The pandemic and lockdown levels had a definite impact on audiological service provision and many adaptations regarding service delivery and infection control in the workplace were required. Contribution: The relevance of this work for health services is the identification of the challenges experienced by audiologists during the pandemic and the opportunities to prepare for the future.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.