Digital proficiency and teleaudiology : key implications in hearing care

Abstract

The current online behavior of people with hearing loss—characterized by increased access to and use of mobile technologies, internet, and social media—creates an opportunity for audiologists to offer personalized, synchronous, and asynchronous eHealth services and solutions. In this article series, we've outlined the steps to create and implement a combined online and in-person hearing care model throughout the patient journey. But to ensure a person-centered approach via this hybrid model, audiologists must consider patients’ digital proficiency, which is the ability to perform a particular task or skill and can be assessed through self-report or behavioral observation. Measuring digital proficiency becomes particularly important in the rapidly evolving world of digital and remote health care, which has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.