LMDA New & Noteworthy, May 2020

Contents include: #LMDA2020 // Conference Countdown; Managing Life and Work in the Time of COVID-19: Thoughts from the LMDA Executive Committee; The Kennedy Center Dramaturgy Intensive: Learn from the best. Work with the best; Regional Events; Your Dramaturgy Ad Here; Pandemic Response: Resources for Artists in the U.S. and Canada (link).https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdanewsletter/1033/thumbnail.jp

24-Karat or fool’s gold? Consequences of real team and co-acting group membership in healthcare organizations

Although theory on team membership is emerging, limited empirical attention has been paid to the effects of different types of team membership on outcomes. We propose that an important but overlooked distinction is that between membership of real teams and membership of co-acting groups, with the former being characterized by members who report that their teams have shared objectives, and structural interdependence and engage in team reflexivity. We hypothesize that real team membership will be associated with more positive individual- and organizational-level outcomes. These predictions were tested in the English National Health Service, using data from 62,733 respondents from 147 acute hospitals. The results revealed that individuals reporting the characteristics of real team membership, in comparison with those reporting the characteristics of co-acting group membership, witnessed fewer errors and incidents, experienced fewer work related injuries and illness, were less likely to be victims of violence and harassment, and were less likely to intend to leave their current employment. At the organizational level, hospitals with higher proportions of staff reporting the characteristics of real team membership had lower levels of patient mortality and sickness absence. The results suggest the need to clearly delineate real team membership in order to advance scientific understanding of the processes and outcomes of organizational teamwork

Long-term subjective loneliness in adults after hearing loss treatment

Objective: While hearing loss is associated with loneliness, the long term impact of hearing loss interventions remains unknown. We investigated levels of loneliness in adults at baseline, 6-months, 1-year and 5-years after receiving a hearing aid (HA) or cochlear implant (CI).Design: In this 5-year follow-up to the Studying Multiple Outcomes after Aural Rehabilitative Treatment study, participants completed the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale at baseline, 6-months, 1-year, and 5-year time points. Generalized estimating equations modeled the population average UCLA score over time.Study Sample: Analytic cohort of 115 participants (74% of original 156) 50 years or older who received a HA or CI at baseline and completed at least one follow up visit.Results: Loneliness scores were not different at 5 years versus baseline for HA users. CI users showed significantly reduced loneliness at 6-months and 1-year from baseline and with no significant difference at 5 years.Conclusion: Over 5 years, we observed no increase in loneliness from baseline in a cohort of adults receiving HAs and CIs. Short-term reduction in loneliness in CI users was demonstrated. Future randomized trials are needed to definitively assess the impact of treated versus untreated hearing loss on loneliness

Long?term Impact of Hearing Aid Provision or Cochlear Implantation on Hearing Handicap

Objectives/HypothesisPrevious research has shown hearing handicap to be reduced following hearing aid use or cochlear implantation in short-to-medium follow-up periods, yet the impact of interventions for hearing loss on hearing handicap in the long term remains understudied. This article reports hearing handicap at 6?months, 12?months, and 5?years after either hearing aid provision or cochlear implantation.Study DesignObservational study.MethodsA study of 115 participants from the Studying Multiple Outcomes after Aural Rehabilitative Treatment (SMART) study cohort assessed self-reported hearing handicap using the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening version (HHIE-S) at baseline, 6?months, 12?months, and 5?years. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to estimate the population mean HHIE-S score over time, accounting for the correlated nature of repeated measures data, and multiple imputation with chained equations was performed to impute missing data.ResultsCompared to baseline, mean HHIE-S scores after hearing aid provision were significantly reduced at 6?months (mean = ?7.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: ?10.40, ?5.53), 12?months (mean = ?6.58, 95% CI: ?9.26, ?3.90), and 5?years (mean = ?4.58, 95% CI: ?7.87, ?1.30). After cochlear implantation, mean hearing handicap scores were also significantly lower compared to baseline at 6?months (mean = ?8.18, 95% CI: ?11.07, ?5.30), 12?months (mean = ?10.04, 95% CI: ?12.92, ?7.16), and 5?years (mean = ?8.97, 95% CI: ?12.92, ?7.16).ConclusionsThis study found short-term benefits from hearing aids and cochlear implantation on hearing handicap were maintained over 5?years

Hearing Loss, Loneliness, and Social Isolation: A Systematic Review

Objective.Social isolation and loneliness are associated with increased mortality and higher health care spending in older adults. Hearing loss is a common condition in older adults and impairs communication and social interactions. The objective of this review is to summarize the current state of the literature exploring the association between hearing loss and social isolation and/or loneliness.Data Sources.PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library.Review Methods.Articles were screened for inclusion by 2 independent reviewers, with a third reviewer for adjudication. English-language studies of older adults with hearing loss that used a validated measure of social isolation or loneliness were included. A modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of the studies included in the review.Results.Of the 2495 identified studies, 14 were included in the review. Most of the studies (12/14) were cross-sectional. Despite the heterogeneity of assessment methods for hearing status (self-report or objective audiometry), loneliness, and social isolation, most multivariable-adjusted studies found that hearing loss was associated with higher risk of loneliness and social isolation. Several studies found an effect modification of gender such that among women, hearing loss was more strongly associated with loneliness and social isolation than among men.Conclusions.Our findings that hearing loss is associated with loneliness and social isolation have important implications for the cognitive and psychosocial health of older adults. Future studies should investigate whether treating hearing loss can decrease loneliness and social isolation in older adults

Characterization of Geriatric Dysphagia Diagnoses in Age-Based Cohorts

Objective An aging population requires increased focus on geriatric otolaryngology. Patients aged ≥65 years are not a homogenous population, and important physiologic differences have been documented among the young-old (65-74 years), middle-old (75-84), and old-old (≥85). We aim to analyze differences in dysphagia diagnoses and swallowing-related quality-of-life among these age subgroups. Study Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Tertiary care laryngology clinic. Subjects and Methods We identified chief complaint, diagnosis, and self-reported swallowing handicap (Eating Assessment Tool [EAT-10] score) of all new patients aged ≥65 years presenting to the Johns Hopkins Voice Center between April 2015 and March 2017. Dysphagia diagnoses were classified by physiologic etiology and anatomic source. Diagnostic categories and EAT-10 score were evaluated as functions of patient age and sex. Results Of 839 new patients aged ≥65 years, 109 (13.0%) reported a chief complaint of dysphagia and were included in this study. The most common dysphagia etiologies were neurologic and esophageal. Most common diagnoses were diverticula (15.6%), reflux (13.8%), and radiation induced (8.3%). Diverticula, cricopharyngeal hypertonicity, and radiation-induced changes were associated with higher EAT-10 score ( P < .001). Significant differences by sex were found in anatomic source of dysphagia, as men and women were more likely to present with oropharyngeal and esophageal disease, respectively ( P = .023). Dysphagia etiology and EAT-10 score were similar across age subgroups. Conclusion Important differences among dysphagia diagnosis and EAT-10 score exist among patients aged ≥65 years. Knowledge of these differences may inform diagnostic workup, management, and further investigations in geriatric otolaryngology