Ida Advisory Board member, Dr. Deborah V. Ferrari, presented the Ida Institute’s methods and tools at the General Assembly of the Brazilian Academy of Audiology, which was held in São Paulo from 14-17 March, 2018.
In her presentation, she stressed the need for a more person-centered approach to hearing rehabilitation in Brazil. “Particularly after health and education bills which were passed in the early 2000s, there are approaches in the context of both national health and higher education policies, which recognize the patient’s values, needs, active participation, among others, as key elements in healthcare,” she explains. “But due to myriad factors − some of which are historical − the biomedical model remains the dominating approach. This contributes to perpetuating a fragmented, disease-centered, reductionist approach to healthcare, including in the area of hearing healthcare.”
Deborah, who is Associate Professor at the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at the Bauru School of Dentistry,University of São Paulo, Brazil (FOB/USP) is a fervent advocate for person-centered care. As one of the driving forces behind the recent partnership between the Ida Institute and the University of São Paulo, she is currently working on the establishment of an Ida chapter in Brazil. This initiative was welcomed by the Brazilian Academy of Audiology at the General Assembly who also endorsed Ida’s tools and methods.
“This endorsement is a very important step forward for hearing healthcare in Brazil,” she says. “Person-centered care is associated with a higher rate of patient satisfaction, adherence to suggested lifestyle changes and treatment, better outcomes and more cost-effective care. Thus, strategies for promoting and strengthening person-centered care in hearing healthcare in our country are essential. We cannot continue to adopt a ‘fix the disease’ approach to hearing healthcare in the public system. The likelihood of successful outcomes is low and it’s a waste of the taxpayers’ money.”
The Brazilian Ida chapter is expected to be launched during 2018.