Primary care providers are in a unique position to identify hearing issues early and refer patients to hearing healthcare practitioners, ultimately mitigating long-term health risks.
A frequently seen patient at our walk-in clinic, probably lonely, with apparently few social contacts, is known to suffer from an aesthetically unpleasant rash—which has been diagnosed in the past.
It isn’t a lack of attention, but a failure of regulation. How changing the terminology can bridge the gap between clinical criteria and a patient’s lived reality.
