Knowledge and attitude of pediatric hearing impairment among general physicians and medical interns in coastal Karnataka, India

Objective: The objectives of the present study were to investigate and compare the knowledge and attitude among general physicians in primary health-care centers and medical interns. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based observational study design was implemented to assess and compare the knowledge and attitude of physicians and medical interns regarding pediatric hearing impairment in setups that have speech and hearing services and that do not offer these services. Results: The general physicians and medical interns showed a positive attitude toward different issues such as importance of hearing in development of speech and language, importance of hearing as a sense, need of hearing screening in newborns, consideration of suspicion of hearing loss by parents, and need of speech therapy. Conclusion: Even though the participants showed adequate knowledge and attitude toward pediatric hearing impairment, there are certain areas that need attention and awareness development. There is also a need to introduce speech and hearing settings at all hospitals as this will ensure a better awareness about the role of the professionals and enable more referrals.