IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i13p7780-d847233.html

Perceptions of Telehealth Services for Hearing Loss in South Africa’s Public Healthcare System

Author

Listed:
  • Aaqilah Bhamjee

    (Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa)

  • Talita le Roux

    (Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa)

  • De Wet Swanepoel

    (Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
    Ear Science Institute Australia, Subiaco, WA 6008, Australia
    Virtual Hearing Laboratory, Collaborative Initiative between University of Colorado and the University of Pretoria, Aurora, CO 10045, USA)

  • Marien Alet Graham

    (Department of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa)

  • Kurt Schlemmer

    (Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
    Department of ENT Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kwazulu Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa)

  • Faheema Mahomed-Asmail

    (Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
    Virtual Hearing Laboratory, Collaborative Initiative between University of Colorado and the University of Pretoria, Aurora, CO 10045, USA)

Abstract

Telehealth promises increased access to hearing healthcare services, primarily in areas where hearing healthcare resources are limited, such as within the South African public healthcare system. Telehealth for hearing healthcare is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, where physical distancing has been essential. This study aimed to describe audiologists’ perceptions regarding telehealth services for hearing loss within South Africa’s public healthcare system. This study was divided into two phases. During Phase 1, 97 audiologists completed an electronic survey regarding their perceptions of telehealth for hearing loss within South African public sector hospitals. Synchronous virtual focus-group discussions were conducted during Phase 2. Results indicated that audiologists recognized telehealth services’ potential to improve hearing healthcare efficiency within the public sector, and most (84.1%) were willing to use it. However, telehealth’s actual uptake was low despite almost doubling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prominent perceived barriers to telehealth were primarily related to hospital resources, including the unavailability of equipment for the remote hearing/specialized assessments, internet-related barriers, and limited IT infrastructure. An increased understanding of telehealth in South Africa’s public healthcare system will assist in identifying and in improving potential barriers to telehealth, including hospital resources and infrastructure.

Suggested Citation

  • Aaqilah Bhamjee & Talita le Roux & De Wet Swanepoel & Marien Alet Graham & Kurt Schlemmer & Faheema Mahomed-Asmail, 2022. "Perceptions of Telehealth Services for Hearing Loss in South Africa’s Public Healthcare System," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-14, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:13:p:7780-:d:847233
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/13/7780/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/13/7780/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David Byrne, 2022. "A worked example of Braun and Clarke’s approach to reflexive thematic analysis," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 1391-1412, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Naureen Akber Ali Meghani & Joanne Hudson & Gareth Stratton & Jane Mullins, 2023. "Older adults’ perspectives on physical activity and sedentary behaviour within their home using socio-ecological model," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(11), pages 1-24, November.
    2. Juravičiūtė Sigita, 2025. "Authenticity under Emotional Strain in Social Services Leadership," Management of Organizations: Systematic Research, Sciendo, vol. 94(1), pages 83-97.
    3. Asanda Rose-Mary Nesindande & Musawenkosi Donia Saurombe & Renjini Mary Joseph, 2025. "Exploring a Digital Banking Talent Management Framework at a Banking Institution in South Africa," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(2), pages 21582440251, May.
    4. Victoria H Davis & Katie N Dainty & Irfan A Dhalla & Kathleen A Sheehan & Brian M Wong & Andrew D Pinto, 2023. "“Addressing the bigger picture”: A qualitative study of internal medicine patients’ perspectives on social needs data collection and use," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(6), pages 1-21, June.
    5. Flourensia Sapty Rahayu & Lukito Edi Nugroho & Ridi Ferdiana & Djoko Budiyanto Setyohadi, 2022. "Motivation and Engagement of Final-Year Students When Using E-learning: A Qualitative Study of Gamification in Pandemic Situation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-22, July.
    6. repec:bjc:journl:v:12:y:2025:i:67:p:2209-2222 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Johnson, Felicity & Bindley, Kristin, 2025. "Minority stress and bereavement: The impact of social positioning on LGBTQ+ bereavement experiences," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 380(C).
    8. Meina Feng & Muhammad Noor Bin Abdul Aziz & Syarizan Dalib, 2025. "Exploring Intercultural Communicative Competence Among Chinese Students: Insights from a Qualitative Study," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(2), pages 21582440251, May.
    9. Md Mostafizur Rahman & Pengcheng Zhang & Farhana Rahman & Syed Kamran Hyder Sherazi, 2025. "Unlocking Dual-Focused Empowering Leadership Behaviors Toward Multilevel Creativity: A Qualitative View," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(2), pages 21582440251, June.
    10. Araz Zirar, 2023. "Can artificial intelligence’s limitations drive innovative work behaviour?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 17(6), pages 2005-2034, August.
    11. Christine N. Tulanan & James L. Paglinawan, 2026. "Lived Experiences of Filipino Chemistry Students in International Graduate Education," International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI), vol. 13(4), pages 2137-2145, April.
    12. Clifton, Julian & Mánez, Kathleen Schwerdtner, 2025. "A framework based on payments for ecosystem services to support the delivery of high integrity carbon and biodiversity credits," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    13. Shibli, Haneen & Aharonson-Daniel, Limor & Daoud, Nihaya & Feder-Bubis, Paula, 2025. "Unpacking access barriers through the health providers' lens among the Arab Bedouin population in Israel," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 364(C).
    14. Yaser Mirzaei & Mehdi Ebrahimpour & Mohammad Giahi & Ahmad Karimi & Hamid Yari & Todd G. Morrison, 2025. "A Qualitative Examination of Contextually Insecure Diasporic Iranian Masculinities," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, July.
    15. Agarwala, Rashi & Satyanarayana, Krishna & Chandrashekar, Deepak & Srinivasan, R., 2025. "How does a digital business-to-business platform transform logistics management in manufacturing firms? – An examination," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    16. Chia‐Chi Lee & Shih‐Yun Kuo & Huang‐Hsiung Hsu & Tung‐Li Mo & En‐Yu Chang & Kuan‐Chun Huang, 2023. "How does the research community contribute to corporate climate‐related risk disclosures? The gap between ideals and reality," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 927-940, March.
    17. Thanavutd Chutiphongdech & Peera Tangtammaruk & Aritat Aksorntap & Samkhumpha Tovara & Supaporn Daengmeesee & Nattapon Siwareepan, 2025. "Sport event hosting and provincial economic growth: Evidence from the Bangsaen21 Half Marathon in Thailand," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, December.
    18. Aslam, Usman & Davis, Leon, 2024. "Analyzing consumer expectations and experiences of Augmented Reality (AR) apps in the fashion retail sector," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    19. Riswana B. & Baiju Gopal, 2026. "Intergenerational Transference of Collective Trauma in the Exilic Lives of Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 27(1), pages 535-561, March.
    20. Yu, Jie & Liu, Yue & Zhao, Jing, 2024. "Tailoring age-friendly technology-enabled transportation service solutions in rural communities," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    21. Michaelidou, Nina & Kostopoulos, Ioannis & Lowe, Emily, 2026. "The dawn of ‘deinfluencing’ as a vehicle for moral responsibility and anti-consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:13:p:7780-:d:847233. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask MDPI Indexing Manager to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.