Hearing Loss Misdiagnosis due to Medical Negligence

Deafness or partial deafness/hearing loss can be life altering, and in a situation where hearing loss has been caused by medical negligence, you may be entitled to hearing loss compensation.

Audiology Negligence

Audiology Negligence or missed diagnosis by an audiologist may result in long term medical issues or in some cases deafness.

Paediatric Audiology in Ireland has been the focus of reviews in recent years particularly in relation to missed diagnosis of hearing loss issues, and Coleman Legal have been engaged by families whose children have suffered medical issuess as a result of substandard or negligence audiology hearing tests for these children.

If your child has suffered hearing loss as the result of missed diagnosis or medical negligence, you can discuss your situation with one of our medical negligence solicitors in confidence.

The HSE National Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme was implemented to ensure that newborn babies undergo a hearing loss screening within one month of their birth.  Furthermore, its objective is to ensure that diagnostic audiology assessments are carried out on each child before the attainment of three months, and that audiological services and early intervention services are made available to babies in need of treatment before the attainment of 6 months of age.

This practice is in line with international standards and supports the contention that early detection is the most effective solution to hearing impairment amongst children.

Results of Misdiagnosis of Hearing Loss in Children

The result of a misdiagnosis of hearing loss, and/or delay in diagnosis can cause significant developmental issues for a child for the period during which they are untreated. Common issues include, but are not limited to, the following;

• Delay in vocabulary development;

• Delay in comprehension or sentence structure;

• Speech impairment;

• Poor academic achievement;

• Social functioning- isolation, anxiety, difficulty interacting with others and poor self-concept.

Hearing aids, cochlear implants, speech therapy and assistive listening devices are commonly used to treat and alleviate hearing impairment.

Children who have gone undiagnosed for some time may require additional speech therapy, educational assistance and behavioural therapy in order to assist their growth and development in later years.

Hearing aids require replacement every 4-6 years on average, while speech therapy and behavioural therapy, together with educational assistance may prove to be an ongoing expense for an indeterminate amount of time into the future.

Hearing Loss Compensation

If you believe that your child has been misdiagnosed, or there has been a delay in their diagnosis of hearing loss, they may be entitled to compensation for the effect this has had on their developmental skills, together with compensation to cover the cost of necessary treatment in this regard going forward.

Types of Hearing Loss:

• Conductive Hearing Loss
• Sensorineural Hearing Loss
• Mixed Hearing Loss

RELATED ARTICLES

• https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Effects-of-Hearing-Loss-on-Development/
• http://www.hse.ie/eng/health/child/newbornscreening/Newbornhearingscreening/HSEUniversalNewbornHearingScreeningProgramme/
• https://www.healthyhearing.com/help/hearing-loss/children

Your Employer’s Liability re Potential Hearing Loss

Irish employers are required to inform employees if the noise level in the workplace is likely to exceed 85 dBA, and to tell them about the potential risk of hearing damage.

They are also obliged to provide the services of a qualified audiologist to offer hearing checks and, if necessary, hearing protection.

Workers in aviation, agriculture, construction, forestry and manufacturing have a significantly higher risk of developing tinnitus and hearing difficulty. So if you work in any of these industries, it’s imperative that you take precautions.

Irish Times 1997 – Employers cannot afford to turn a deaf ear to staff hearing problems

How We Can Help

The medical negligence team at Coleman Legal Partners have significant experience of dealing with claims where hearing impairment or loss occurs as a result of substandard or negligent medical treatment. 

We have also taken instructions in relation to the recent audiology review findings in relation to paediatric audiology.

Contact us on 01-5313800 or fill in your details below and we will contact you.

RELATED ARTICLES

• RTÉ News – 08/06/2018 –  Families at centre of audiology failures still waiting for audit
• RTÉ News – 07/06/2018 – HSE to apologise over failing in audiology services in west
• Irish Medical Times – 19/04/2016 – HSE moves to address audiology shortcoming
• HSE National Audiology Review – April 2011
• Connaught Telegraph – 07/06/2018 – Serious failings in audiology services provided to children in Mayo are uncovered
• thejournal.ie – 08/06/2018 – Simon Harris says it’s ‘right and proper’ HSE apologises over failings in audiology services