World Wide Hearing
World-Wide Hearing Care for Developing Countries
Making Hearing Matter
WWHearing recognizes that traditional audiology clinics and hearing aid services simply lack the capacity to meet the tremendous global needs in this field. To seek a solution for this problem, WWHearing has launched pilot projects on three continents since 2006. Using developments in audiology and hearing aid technology, WWHearing is now ready to begin the advanced trial phase of its alternative service model, called Hearing Express. This model is designed to administer quality hearing health services to large volumes of individuals. These services include affordable and rapid screening, diagnostics and hearing aid services.
WWHearing offers its potential beneficiaries a faster road to ‘better hearing’ with limited absence from work, household duties, or school. WWHearing does not compromise on safe and sound audiological practices. Parallel to traditional clinical services, it promotes an alternative system of hearing health care in underserved communities. We call our system Hearing Express, a name that denotes speed and mobility. With Hearing Express, we provide hearing health care to far more individuals than ever thought possible, without sacrificing quality of services.
WWHearing is developing the Hearing Express service models with the goal of establishing financially sustainable outlets that provide hearing aid services in developing countries. These outlets will implement the Hearing Express alternative models of service delivery. Envisioned are one or more central or regional 'Headquarters' clinics in the target country or region that will provide training and accreditation by WWHearing. Such WWHearing-accredited clinics will be selected by location, professional experience, and credentials, as well as the vision to provide high-volume services. They will train, supervise and help equip mobile 'Hearing Express Teams', urban and rural Community Rehabilitation Centers, regular health clinics, and alternative commercial outlets such as audio product shops in shopping centers and high-traffic commercial areas. These WWH-accredited hearing aid services and outlets will see the majority of potential clients, referring the remainder to traditional (WWHearing-accredited) clinics for attention.
With the Hearing Express model, speed is crucial in order to increase the volume of beneficiaries. Training and supervising Audiology Technicians and deploying them in WWH-certified services is an intrinsic element of the model. Mobility is the second crucial element of our model, as fixed clinics devoted solely to hearing health are rarely if ever sustainable in low-income communities.
Let us tell you more about Hearing Express:
- Hearing Express uses innovative, lean and affordable hearing health care technology.
- Hearing Express promotes using affordable, high-quality, digital hearing aids as well as self-fitting hearing aid technologies. Besides traditional ear molds and open fit ear plugs, WWHearing promotes developing rapid self-fitting ear molds. WWHearing supports using ‘green’ (environmentally friendly) power supplies, such as solar rechargeable batteries.
- Hearing Express trains and supervises the work of qualified audiology and hearing aid dispensing technicians.
- Hearing Express is deployed in a multi-track system. One, a rapid track (less than one hour with a target time of 30 minutes) for a majority of clients, along with traditional tracks for infants and children and a minority of clients who require special care and attention.
- Hearing Express promotes cooperation with audio equipment and mobile phone retailers, as well as establishing footholds in high-traffic commercial areas (such as shopping malls).
The individual elements of Hearing Express are not new to hearing care, but WWHearing seeks to ‘package’ technology, training, and products so as to create and implement sustainable, rapid and high-volume hearing health services. Such packages will be made available and subsidized as needed, to local organizations and businesses that operate WWHearing accredited clinics and WWHearing certified hearing aid services in the developing world.
The steps of the Hearing Express rapid track service are as follows:
| Steps | Staff Member | Action Performed | Target Time |
| Step 1 |
Admin secretary or audiology technician |
ID information is recorded | Approx. 2 min |
| Step 2 |
Admin secretary or audiology technician |
General/ Hearing health information is recorded | Approx. 2 min |
| Step 3 | Audiologist or audiology technician | Initial screening (otoscopy, tympanometry checks) | Approx. 2 min |
| Step 4 | Audiologist or audiology technician | Pure tone audiogram and OAE test | Approx. 10 min |
| Step 5 | Ear mold Technician | If necessary an impression of the ear is taken to manufacture the ear mold (3 hrs - 1 day) to produce the finished ear mold. Alternatively an ‘open fit’ ear plug or self-fitting instant ear mold can be used. | Approx. 4 min |
| Step 6 | Audiologist or audiology technician | Hearing aid(s) is fitted | Approx. 10 min |
| Step 7 | Recorded (video) presentation | Clients are instructed on how to operate and maintain their hearing aid(s). This can be done for groups of clients who are waiting to be served. Ideally a prepared video program with Q&A by technicians is displayed. | Approx. 5 mi |
WWHearing is particularly interested in the distribution of hearing aids to infants and children, as a school-age boy or girl benefits the most from a hearing aid during the most critical years of their intellectual, emotional and social development.
WWHearing understands that the cost of hearing aid ‘ownership’ (total cost over 5 years of hearing aid, diagnostic and fitting service, replacement ear molds, power supply, maintenance and repairs) has always been a potential barrier to their use. Especially for children, the cost of ownership can be high, as they need to replace their ear molds regularly and may need more maintenance. Traditional, one-time use batteries can be inordinately expensive for a low-income family, so WWHearing promotes the use of solar-powered, rechargeable hearing aid batteries. Where audiology services are not available, self-fitting hearing aids and ear molds could mean the difference between ‘hearing’ and ‘not-hearing’.
WWHearing has faith in the experience and expertise of its members, partners and affiliates to reduce the burden of disabling hearing loss on a global scale. WWHearing is confident that the Hearing Express service model will help us achieve the goal to “make hearing matter”.
