Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41844325›Full record

ArticleThe Laryngoscope2026

Assessment of Hearing Health Among Adults in Rural Health Clinics.

Mit A Patel, David Adkins, Laura Bellnier, Anthony Mahairas, Matthew L Bush

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Laryngoscope, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Mit A PatelDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
David AdkinsDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
Laura BellnierDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
Anthony MahairasDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
Matthew L BushDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1460-5038

Funding

Hearing Healthcare Assessment in Rural Communities (HHARC)R21DC019602 · NIDCD · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · PI BUSH, MATTHEW LEE · 2021 to 2022
$418k
NIDCD NIH HHS R21 DC019602
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveHearing loss (HL) negatively impacts all aspects of health, yet poor access to hearing healthcare (HHC) among adults is a pervasive public health problem. The inaccessibility of HHC is amplified in rural adults. Rural health clinics (RHC) are a critical healthcare system tasked with improving health in rural communities and the objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of HL and the utilization of HHC within RHCs.

methodsUsing cross-sectional study design, adults were recruited from 10 RHC throughout rural Kentucky, mostly within Appalachia. The primary outcomes were (1) presence of HL on screening and (2) history of a hearing test within the last year and within the last 5 years. Additional outcomes included sociodemographic and overall health status. Descriptive, univariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted.

resultsA total of 403 participants (mean age 51.1) were recruited. A total of 388 participants completed a hearing screening and 271 (70%) screened positive for HL, yet only 3.4% and 13.4% of participants had undergone a hearing test in the past 1 and 5 years, respectively. Adults with higher education levels were less likely to have HL (OR 0.47; 95% CI 0.26-0.86; p = 0.02). HL in this sample was associated with noise exposure (OR 1.97; CI 1.08 to 3.61; p = 0.03) and poorer mental health (OR 3.48; 95% CI 1.74-7.18; p = 0.001).

conclusionRural adults in RHC have a high prevalence of HL and low utilization of HHC. Promoting and expanding access to HHC within RHCs may improve hearing health among rural adults. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3:

Indexed as

Hearing LossRural Health ServicesAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHealth Services AccessibilityHearing TestsHumansKentuckyMaleMass ScreeningMiddle AgedPrevalenceRural Populationdisparitieshearing lossrural healthscreening

Identifiers

PMID41844325
PMCPMC13357345

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Registered trials

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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.