Abstract
Background: Meniere's syndrome has a significant impact on the health, wellbeing and quality of life of those individuals diagnosed with this disorder. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the types of health care services provided to individuals with Meniere's syndrome and the roles of the patient, medical specialists and audiologists in its management. Method: 20 patients diagnosed with Meniere's syndrome and 7 health professionals directly involved in diagnosis and management were recruited. Their perspectives were obtained using either semi-structured interviews (for health professionals) or questionnaires (for patients). An assessment of how patients' needs are being met by current practices was undertaken by comparing with 'best practice' chronic illness management practices. Results: Results show that patients with Meniere's syndrome need greater support to achieve high quality of life outcomes. Current care practices do not fully address the patients' needs for support and the key elements of chronic illness management were not evident. Finally, the role of audiologists was not clear across all stakeholders.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 15-26 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | The Australian and New Zealand journal of audiology |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |
Keywords
- Otolaryngology
- Allied health personnel
- Audiologists
- Clinics--Management