Summary
Ear and hearing health is vital for overall health and quality of life. Ear disease and associated hearing loss can have long-lasting impacts on education, wellbeing and employment.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are more likely than non-Indigenous children to experience ear and hearing problems. A number of factors contribute to the poorer ear and hearing health of Indigenous children, including lack of access to health services, household overcrowding and second-hand smoke exposure.
Since 2012, the Australian Government has funded the Northern Territory Government to deliver hearing health outreach services to Indigenous children and young people aged under 21 in the Northern Territory—mainly through the National Partnership on Northern Territory Remote Aboriginal Investment (for children aged under 16); and through the Healthy Ears—Better Hearing, Better Listening Program. These outreach services include audiology services, ear, nose and throat (ENT) Teleotology services, and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) services.
This report presents new data for hearing health outreach services provided in 2021, and includes time trends for the period July 2012 to December 2021.
How many children received services?
- In 2021, 125 training sessions for hearing health education, promotion and prevention activities were provided to health-care staff.
- A total of 1,987 Indigenous children and young people received at least 1 audiology, Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), or ear, nose and throat (ENT) teleotology service in 2021. From July 2012 to December 2021, a total of 37,804 services were provided to more than 9,500 children and young people.
- In 2021, 2,290 outreach audiology services were provided to 1,979 Indigenous children and young people. From July 2012 to December 2021, a total of 20,851 services were provided to a total of 9,401 children and young people.
- 703 ENT teleotology services were provided to 635 Indigenous children and young people in 2021. From July 2012 to December 2021, a total of 8,245 services were provided to a total of 4,144 children and young people.
- In 2021, CNSs conducted 1,139 visits to 1,018 children. From July 2012 to December 2021, a total of 8,708 services were provided to a total of 5,572 Indigenous children.
Figure 1: Number of Indigenous children and young people who received audiology, CNS or ENT teleotology service in 2021
Source: Tables S2. 1, S2.3, S2.5
Hearing health is improving among children and young people who received outreach services between 2012 and 2021.
The percentage of Indigenous children and young people with at least 1 ear condition decreased by 10 percentage points, from 66% (483 of 727 children and young people) to 56% (1,113 of 1,987 children and young people).
Among children and young people who received audiology services, the proportion with hearing loss decreased by 16 percentage points, from 55% (388 of 710 children and young people) to 39% (776 of 1,979 children and young people).
Figure 2: Ear and hearing health improvements between 2012 and 2021
Sources: Tables S3.1 and S3.6
Among 4,334 Indigenous children and young people who received at least 2 audiology services between 2012 and 2021, 3,063 had hearing loss at their first service, and of those, 1,943 (63%) had improved—this is a change from bilateral to unilateral hearing loss or from unilateral hearing loss to no hearing loss.
Between 2012 and 2021, among 1,944 Indigenous children who received at least 2 audiology services and had hearing impairment at their first service, 1,414 (73%) had improved—moving to a lower degree of hearing impairment or to no hearing impairment.
Many children and young people are still waiting for hearing health services
At December 2021, there were 3,403 Indigenous children and young people on the audiology waiting list. Among them, 1,571 were new referrals and 1,832 were recalled for further follow-up after receiving an initial audiology service. There were 1,835 children and young people on the waiting list for ENT teleotology services. Among them, 1,190 were new referrals and 645 were recalled for further follow-up after receiving initial ENT teleotology services. Large number of new referrals may be the result of increased awareness of the importance of early detection of ear disease.
What was the impact of COVID-19?
Across audiology, CNS and ENT, the number of services received dropped slightly between 2019 and 2020. This was largely due to a decrease in services between March and April 2020, coinciding with the introduction of restrictions imposed to control the spread of COVID-19. The number of services increased again in 2021, especially between February and May 2021.
Figure 3: Number of services increased in 2021
Source: Tables S2.1, S2.3, S2.5
Is the Hearing Health Program meeting its benchmarks?
Health outcomes in this program are measured every 3 years (July 2012 – June 2015, July 2015 – December 2018 and January 2019 – December 2021). All benchmarks in the first 2 periods were met. In 2021, all 3 service delivery targets were exceeded and the hearing impairment target was met. Of the 4 targets related to middle ear conditions, 2 targets –children aged 0–5 with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and 6–15 with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) – were met.
Progress against benchmarks is presented in Table 1.
Target | Outcome |
---|---|
Service delivery targets |
|
At least 1,700 audiology services per year |
2,290 audiology services provided in 2021 |
At least 700 children receiving CNS services per year |
1,018 children received CNS services in 2021 |
At least 60 hearing health promotion or training services/activities per year |
125 hearing health promotion or training services and activities provided in 2021 |
Health outcome targets—hearing impairment |
|
Less than 7.5% of children tested with moderate/severe conductive hearing impairment, Jan 2019– December 2021 |
2.6% of children tested with moderate/severe conductive hearing impairment, Jan 2019–Dec 2021 |
Health outcome targets—middle ear conditions |
|
Less than 7% of children (0–5) with CSOM, Jan 2019– December2021 |
6.1% of children (0–5) with CSOM, Jan 2019–Dec 2021 |
Less than 7% of children (6–15) with CSOM, Jan 2019–December 2021 |
5% of children (6–15) with CSOM, Jan 2019–Dec 2021 |
Less than 5% of children (0–5) with dry perforation, Jan 2019– December 2021 |
6% of children (0–5) with dry perforation, Jan 2019–Dec 2021 |
Less than 9% of children (6–15) with dry perforation, Jan 2019– December 2021 |
13.1% of children (6–15) with dry perforation, Jan 2019–Dec 2021 |
CNS=Clinical Nurse Specialist; CSOM=chronic suppurative otitis media
Summary
1 Introduction
- Why is ear and hearing health important?
- What is ear and hearing health?
- Impact of poor ear and hearing health
- Ear and hearing health in the Northern Territory
- Australian Government-funded Hearing Health Program in the Northern Territory
- How do children and young people move through the Northern Territory hearing health system?
- About this report
- About the data in this report
2 Service delivery
- Health education, promotion and prevention
- Outreach audiology
- ENT teleotology services
- Clinical Nurse Specialist services
- Impact of COVID-19
3 Ear conditions and hearing health status
- Ear conditions
- Age and sex differences
- Changes over time in ear health among children and young people
- Ear conditions among CNS service recipients
- Hearing status
- Hearing loss
- Hearing impairment
- Changes among children who received 2 or more services between 2012 and 2021
4 Demand for ear and hearing health services and other follow-up services
- Follow-up services required after audiologist visits
- Follow-up services required after ENT teleotology services
- Waiting list for audiology and ENT teleotology services
5 Regional analysis
- Hearing loss
- Hearing impairment
- Ear conditions
6 Progress against benchmarks
- Service delivery
- Audiology services
- CNS services
- Health promotion services and activities
- Health outcomes
- Hearing impairment
- Middle ear conditions
Appendix A: About the Hearing Health Program data collections
- Data collection, management and reporting
Appendix B: Data quality statement
- Outreach audiology data collection summary
- ENT teleotology data collection summary
- CNS data collection summary
- Child Health Check Initiative (CHCI) data collections summary
End matter: Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; Symbols; Glossary; References; List of tables; List of boxes; List of figures; Related publications