Australian hearing healthcare stakeholders’ experiences of and attitudes towards teleaudiology uptake: a qualitative study

This study aimed to explore the experiences of Australian-based hearing healthcare stakeholders' with using teleaudiology and their views on future teleaudiology uptake. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 stakeholders (six clients, 10 clinicians, three students, two academics, and two industry partners). Six themes were generated: (1) Barriers to and facilitators of teleaudiology uptake, (2) Advantages and challenges of using teleaudiology, (3) Additional considerations when using teleaudiology, (4) Teleaudiology education at university, (5) Recent development in improving teleaudiology uptake, and (6) Attitudinal changes in post-pandemic teleaudiology uptake. Poor digital literacy and positive support received from other stakeholders were found to be the biggest barrier and facilitator, respectively. Additional considerations including the type of service offered and clear communication strategies were highlighted. Students and academics noted inadequate teleaudiology education at university, mainly due to a lack of infrastructure and equipment. Recent encouragement from management and improvement in university infrastructure were reported. Most participants were optimistic about post-pandemic teleaudiology uptake and expressed increased willingness to use teleaudiology over time. Generally positive attitudes towards future teleaudiology uptake were observed. Gradually increasing collaborative effort was seen in improving teleaudiology uptake, yet certain challenges and barriers need to be addressed to further promote teleaudiology uptake in post-pandemic times.