GPs in focus when World Hearing Day 2023 spotlights primary care involvement
World Hearing Day will see the campaign's host and overseer, the World Health Organisation (WHO), emphasise the role of primary care in hearing care as it strives to make an effective return to this awareness drive.
As campaigning for the March 3 celebration will highlight the importance of integrating ear and hearing care within primary care, the role of general practitioners in key aspects of hearing health will inevitably come under scrutiny.
The 2023 WHD will focus on four key messages, says the WHO:
- Ear and hearing problems are among the most common problems encountered in the community.
- Over 60% of these can be identified and addressed at the primary level of care.
- Integration of ear and hearing care into primary care services is possible through training and capacity building at this level.
- Such integration will benefit people and help countries move towards the goal of universal health coverage.
Training manual to be released on March 3
And to help achieve the objectives of World Hearing Day, the WHO has announced a March 3 launch of a new training manual – Primary ear and hearing care training manual for health workers and general practitioners. The manual will be accompanied with trainer’s handbook and other community resources.
2022 – important tools added to World Hearing Day campaign
World Hearing Day in 2022 was given a noticeable push by the WHO, which concentrated on the importance and means of preventing hearing loss from recreational sounds through safe listening. To help create awareness, the following tools were issued:
- a Global standard for safe listening entertainment venues and events, detailing safe listening features. The features can be implemented by governments, venue and event owners, and event staff such as audio engineers.
- an mSafeListening handbook, on how to create an mHealth safe listening program.
- and a media toolkit for journalists containing key information and how to talk about safe listening.
What can you do to engage with World Hearing Day 2023?
The WHO encourages partners and stakeholders in the hearing health field to organise events. These are aimed at advocating for integrating ear and hearing care within primary care, as well as raising awareness in communities about the importance of ear and hearing care and encourage them to seek services.
As the campaign push develops, further information will appear on the designated WHO web page here. Registration for the World Hearing Day 2023 events will commence in November 2022.
Source: WHO
