HearOut (Hearing Health Outcomes for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander children/First Nations LOCHI groundwork project)

Project Objectives 

Otitis media (middle ear disease) and related hearing difficulties are common among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and can affect communication, learning, wellbeing, and participation in daily life. However, there is limited information about which outcomes matter most to families and communities, and whether existing tools are suitable for tracking and supporting these outcomes. This project aimed to work with partner communities to identify important outcomes, review available tools and resources, and where there were gaps to co-develop and adapt tools and resources with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 

Key Findings 

In the first part of the project, we consulted widely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, developed community partnerships and established the NAL Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Leadership Group.  

In the second part of the project, we found that the outcomes that mattered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and to health professionals largely matched outcomes in the other published research. These outcomes were in five key areas: 

1. Ear and nose health 

2. Hearing 

3. Listening/speech/language 

4. Quality of life 

5. Treatment and Care delivery.  

Additional outcomes that mattered to families and health professionals included ‘hearing to be safe’, ‘impact of hearing on social situations’, ‘family/child satisfaction with care’, ‘family empowerment to advocate for their child’, and ‘accessibility of treatment, care, and support’. 

We found that only seven tools to track and support outcomes had been adapted for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. We chose four of these checklists to co-develop new adaptations with partner communities: 

1. ERLI (Early Language Inventory) 

2. PLUM (Parent-Evaluated Listening and Understanding Measure) 

3. HATS (Hearing And Talking Scale) 

4. OM-6 (Otitis Media Quality of Life Survey) 

We co-adapted and translated these four tools and trialled them with families, educators and health workers in partner communities. We found that the tools were feasible and acceptable for use. We also created audio versions of the tools and accompanying information, co-adapted and translated resources and created a ‘how-to’ guide for future adaptations and translations with and for other communities. Participants highlighted the importance of culturally safe, community-led approaches and the need for tools that support early identification without increasing workload for families or services. 

Next Steps and Potential Applications 

The adapted tools and resources can be used in partner communities immediately and can be used in other communities with consultation and further adaptation if required. The adapted tools provide a foundation for future research to better understand the short- and long-term impacts of ear and hearing health on children’s development and wellbeing. The findings can support the development of culturally appropriate monitoring approaches, inform service delivery, and strengthen partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to improve hearing health outcomes.