Hearing impairment primary prevention

Overview

Hearing impairment can be prevented by preventing exposure to common risk factors, loud noise, ototoxic drugs, and trauma.

It can be prevented by limiting exposure to excessive noise in both work and leisure activities.
Noise-induced hearing loss is completely preventable with routine use of hearing protection. There are 3 types of Hearing protection ear muffs, earplugs and ear caps.
App-based sound level meters are available for free. Several devices and apps can track daily noise exposure.
Moreover mobile devices now a days have safety warnings for sound up to safe limit.
Avoid or closely monitor ototoxic medications and chemical exposure that damage cochlear hair cells and basement membrane.
Close follow up with the patients having recurrent ear infections.
Take care of volume and/or wear hearing protection when listening to loud music or during parties when noise area exceed 85 dBA.
Avoid head trauma.
Keep yourself at a distance from speakers.
Prevention of genetic hearing loss is possible through pre pregnancy and prenatal genetic screening, diagnosis and counseling.^[2]

Choose low-noise tools and machinery, lubricate and maintain machinery and equipment to remove friction, place a barrier between the source of noise and employee.
Enclose or isolate the noise source.

↑ Nieman CL, Oh ES (2020). “Hearing Loss”. Ann Intern Med. 173 (11): ITC81–ITC96. doi:10.7326/AITC202012010. PMID 33253610 Check |pmid= value (help).
↑ Yang T, Guo L, Wang L, Yu X (2019). “Diagnosis, Intervention, and Prevention of Genetic Hearing Loss”. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1130: 73–92. doi:10.1007/978-981-13-6123-4_5. PMID 30915702.