Publication ( PDF , 981.92 KB ) - Gezondheidsraad

SUMMARY
In April 2002, the Advisory Council on Health Research (RGO) received a
request for advice from the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport about hearing
research. This request was made in response to the Volksgezondheid Toekomst
Verkenning (Dutch Public Health Status and Forecasts Report (VTV) from the
National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) published in
1997, the report 'Hearing impairment due to pop music' from the Netherlands
Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) published in 2001, and
Rouvoet's subsequent motion about hearing impairment and noise pollution
which was passed by the Dutch House of Representatives. The minister asked the
Council to advise on the hearing research necessary to prevent, cure and
rehabilitate hearing loss in relation to the present research activities in the
Netherlands. Specific attention was asked for the prevention of hearing loss in
young people and the rehabilitation of the elderly.
MAGNITUDE AND NATURE OF THE PROBLEM
Figures from the VTV and other registrations reveal that hearing loss (hard of
hearing and deafness) is a considerable problem. The estimates reveal that one in
ten of the Dutch population suffer from hearing loss to a greater or lesser extent.
This mostly concerns elderly persons who are hard of hearing, and as the
population ages this problem is set to increase over the coming years. The
incidence of work-related hearing loss is decreasing, but it is still the most
frequently reported work-related complaint in the construction industry.
Despite important medical and technological developments, hearing loss cannot
be cured and often it can only be partially compensated. Hearing loss is associated
with considerable social-psychological and social-societal consequences due to the
risk of social isolation that the hard of hearing face. The premature loss of such
persons from the employment process has obvious economic consequences as
well.
MAGNITUDE OF RESEARCH AND SUBJECTS COVERED
An inventory of hearing research revealed that the magnitude of the research is
very limited. The majority of reasonably structured hearing research takes place at
university medical centres and is mostly clinical in nature, concentrating on the
structure and function of the auditory organ. The research conducted in the
academic setting on hearing aids and technology is often fundamental in nature.
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