Abstract
Introduction: Dementia and hearing conditions are both major public health concerns. Most people living with dementia also live with hearing conditions (e.g., hearing loss, vestibular disorders, hyperacusis). Furthermore, evidence suggests that hearing loss is a risk factor for the development of dementia. There is a critical need for research to explain the association between dementia and hearing conditions and to optimise assessments and interventions for this co-morbidity. This James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership (JLA PSP) aimed to identify unanswered research questions about dementia and hearing conditions that are prioritised by people with lived experience and professionals from healthcare and social care.
Method: The participants were people living with hearing conditions and/or dementia, supporters (e.g. caregivers, relatives), clinicians, and social care professionals. A survey (N=404) gathered 422 research questions proposed by participants, which were collated to form 47 summary research questions. An evidence-checking process confirmed that these questions had not been answered by previous research. A second survey (N=560) produced a shortlist of 16 questions. At a final workshop (N=19), the top ten questions were identified. The process was overseen by a steering group of people with lived experience, supporters, and clinicians.
Results: The prioritised research questions spanned diverse topics, including training for clinicians about this co-morbidity, routine health checks that incorporate hearing and cognition, dementia risk reduction strategies for people living with hearing loss, the impact of auditory and cognitive training on cognition, and potential mechanisms underlying the link between hearing loss and dementia.
Conclusion: This novel JLA PSP was the first to identify research priorities for two different, yet co-morbid, health conditions. It can help ensure that future research about dementia and hearing conditions addresses the priorities of those most impacted: people with lived experience, supporters, and clinicians. It has important implications for researchers, funders, commissioners, and clinicians.
Comments
Interesting
Very interesting. I think you hint at a chicken and egg question with regard to hearing loss and dementia. Although your abstract doesn’t set out to address this, I wonder what study designs would help to answer this question? Are there longitudinal cohort studies planned?
Thank you for your…
Thank you for your insightful comment. We have just submitted a review paper that examines this issue. Our team do not have a cohort study planned at present. We hope the publication of our priority setting partnership will prompt researchers in the field to undertake research to address these priorities, including cohort studies. One issue is that few people living with dementia (less than 4% approx) take part in research. Many do not receive an 'official' diagnosis or know that type of dementia they have. It is difficult to examine the relationship between hearing loss and specific types of dementia as a result.