Sustainability Week ’23, organized by Istanbul Medeniyet University Sustainability Office and IMU Sustainability Student Club, draws attention to all of the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Lifelong Hearing Screening Panel” was held on Thursday, December 21, 2023, the fourth day of the Sustainability Week’23 events organized by Istanbul Medeniyet University Sustainability Office and IMU Sustainability Student Club in cooperation with the Department of Audiology. In the panel, which was open to all our students, administrative and academic staff and the public at the Cevizli Campus of our university, academicians of our university as well as scientists who are experts in their fields took part. Panel speakers informed the participants about the importance of hearing health and screenings in terms of public health.
The panelists discussed the critical role of hearing screenings in lifelong health management through their own research and experiences and offered suggestions on how society can be more supportive and inclusive for individuals living with hearing loss. The panel noted that hearing screenings and diagnosis of hearing loss are of great importance from newborns to the elderly, and that early diagnosis of hearing loss and correct intervention are of great importance. It was pointed out that the lack of early diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss, especially in infants, will negatively affect children’s speech skills, which in turn will negatively affect the child’s communication and social skills. However, it was stated that hearing screening programs are an indispensable part of health policies and should be carried out with inclusive health practices that include all age groups from newborns to the elderly. For this reason, it was pointed out that national hearing screening programs are of great importance and that these practices need to be developed and expanded. It was emphasized that hearing loss without intervention can cause various difficulties in human‘s daily lives and this can have negative socio-economic impacts on people’s lives. It was pointed out that in the absence of social awareness, this can lead to inequal treatment. Therefore, it was stated that both screening activities and preventive strategies have an important place in public health activities. In addition, issues such as technological advances in the health system and future trends in hearing screening were also discussed.
