The Impact of Hearing Loss on Hospitalizations Among US Adults with Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Effective communication is essential to patient-provider interactions, chronic disease self-management, and ultimately reducing excess healthcare utilization. This study investigated whether hearing loss was associated with hospitalizations among adults managing heart failure. DESIGN: Nationally representative prospective cohort data from the 1998 to 2020 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used to examine adults who were diagnosed with heart failure (n = 3274) and followed every 2 years for up to 8 years. Hearing status was ascertained at each wave by patient-reported hearing and hearing aid use (normal hearing, unaided hearing loss, aided hearing loss). Hospitalizations were assessed at each wave from participants' reported number of all-cause hospital admissions in the prior 2 years. Negative binomial mixed models examined numbers of hospitalizations over time among patients with normal hearing, unaided hearing loss, and aided hearing loss. RESULTS: Among study participants (mean age 71.5 years [± 10.6]), approximately 63.8% reported normal hearing, 28.5% had unaided hearing loss, and 7.6% had aided hearing loss. Adults with unaided hearing loss had significantly more hospitalizations than adults with normal hearing (incidence-rate ratio [IRR] = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.07-1.22, P < .001). The association was partly attenuated after adjusting for the sociodemographic and health-related characteristics of adults with heart failure (IRR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.00-1.14, P = .040). Adults with aided hearing loss had no significant difference in hospitalizations compared to adults with normal hearing. Among heart failure patients with hearing loss, those who were unaided had significantly more hospitalizations compared to those who wore hearing aids (IRR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.06-1.49, P = .008). The associations were consistent over the course of the illness and did not vary across major demographic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Unaided hearing loss was associated with increased hospitalizations among adults with heart failure. Healthcare providers should consider routine hearing assessments in heart failure patients to identify those who may benefit from hearing aids to potentially reduce their risk of preventable hospitalizations.

Duke Scholars

Author Jessica Sayles West Communication Sciences