Listen to the sounds of why hearing matters to the Alaskan Native people.
Poslušajte zašto je sluh važan domorodcima Aljaske.
Hearing loss makes it hard to fish on the open water, hunt caribou and harvest berries, activities central to Alaskan Native culture. Hearing loss isn't unique to rural Alaska. It's global. The Global Burden of Disease Project estimates there are 1.1 billion people living with hearing loss worldwide. That's more people than the entire population here in sub-Saharan Africa. Over 80 percent are in low- and middle-income countries, and many have no access to hearing care.
Gubitak sluha otežava pecanje ribe u otvorenim vodama, lovljenje soba i prikupljanje bobičastog voća, aktivnosti ključne za pripadnike kulture Aljaske. Gubitak sluha nije tipičan samo za ruralnu Aljasku. Globalan je. Projekt Globalnog Tereta Bolesti procjenjuje da ima 1,1 milijarda ljudi koji žive s gubitkom sluha diljem svijeta. To je više ljudi nego cijela populacija supsaharske Afrike. Preko 80% njih živi u državama niskih i srednjih prihoda i puno njih nema pristup klinikama za sluh.
The impact on people's lives is tremendous. Anuk is a three-year-old boy I treated in Alaska. Ear infections started when he was barely four months old. His parents brought him into clinic, worried he didn't say much compared to his brothers. Sure enough, many rounds of infections had resulted in hearing loss. Without treatment, Anuk's speech will continue to lag behind. He's more likely to do worse in school, have worse job prospects and experience social isolation.
Utjecaj toga na ljudske živote je ogroman. Anuk je trogodišnji dječak kojeg sam liječila na Aljasci. Infekcije uha su započele kad je imao jedva četiri mjeseca. Roditelji su ga doveli u kliniku, zabrinuti jer nije puno pričao, u usporedbi sa svojom braćom. Velik broj infekcija rezultirao je gubitkom sluha. Bez liječenja, Anukov govor će i dalje zaostajati. Veća je vjerojatnost da će imati lošije rezultate u školi, imat će slabije izglede za zapošljavanje i doživljavati društvenu izoliranost.
But it doesn't have to be this way. The World Health Organization estimates that half of all global hearing loss can be prevented. If Anuk's hearing loss is identified and treated promptly, his life and the opportunities he has as he grows up could look vastly different.
Ali, to ne mora biti tako. WHO procjenjuje da polovina svjetskih problema sa sluhom može biti spriječena. Da je Anukov gubitak sluha bio brzo prepoznat i tretiran, njegov život i mogućnosti koje ima dok odrasta mogle su izgledati puno drugačije.
I'm an ear surgeon working with partners around the world on new pathways for hearing loss prevention. This solution comes from my collaboration with a tribal health organization called the Norton Sound Health Corporation. Hearing loss evaluation traditionally requires testing by an audiologist in a soundproof room, with a lot of permanent equipment. An ear surgeon then examines Anuk's ears under a microscope and decides a treatment plan. These resources simply aren't available in remote settings. In a state where 75 percent of communities aren't connected to a hospital by road, an expensive flight is required. To overcome these barriers, Alaska has developed a state-of-the-art telemedicine system that connects over 250 village health clinics with specialists who triage all types of health concerns. My colleagues have validated that ear-related telemedicine consults are equivalent to an in-person exam. In 2016, travel was prevented for 91 percent of patients receiving specialty telemedicine in the Norton Sound region. Telemedicine has saved over 18 million in travel costs in this single region over the past 15 years.
Ja sam kirurg za uši i radim s partnerima diljem svijeta na novim putevima prevencije gubitka sluha. Rješenje dolazi iz moje suradnje sa zdravstvenom organizacijom Aljaske, Norton Sound Health korporacija. Procjena gubitka sluha obično zahtijeva testiranja audiologa u zvučno izoliranoj sobi s puno stalne opreme. Kirurg specijaliziran za uši tada bi pregledao Anukove uši pod mikroskopom i donio odluku o daljnjem tretmanu. Ovi resursi jednostavno nisu dostupni u udaljenim mjestima. U državi gdje 75% zajednica nije cestom povezano s bolnicom, potrebni su skupi letovi. Kako bi prevladala ove barijere, Aljaska je razvila najmoderniji sustav telemedicine, koji povezuje preko 250 seoskih klinika sa specijalistima koji se bave svim vrstama zdravstvenih tegoba. Moje kolege su potvrdile da je daljinsko dijagnosticiranje i liječenje problema uha jednako onome uživo. 2016. godine 91% pacijenata nije trebalo putovati jer su primili telemedicinsko savjetovanje u regiji Norton Sound. Telemedicina je u toj regiji uštedjela preko 18 milijuna u putnim troškovima u zadnjih 15 godina.
Our team is taking the power of telemedicine to a new level, through a project funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. For the first time, we are merging telemedicine with mobile screening technology that extends the reach of expert triage beyond health care settings. This cell-based screen, developed in South Africa, costs over 10 times less than traditional equipment and does not require advanced training. If I were screening Anuk at school, sound-attenuating headphones and noise monitoring would take the place of a sound booth, and I would use a phone adapter instead of a microscope to examine his ears. In a matter of minutes, screening and images are done. We then apply Alaska telemedicine technology to transmit the data to specialists, who connect Anuk to the treatment he needs.
Naš tim diže moć telemedicine na novu razinu preko projekta financiranog od strane Patient-Centered Outcomes Researc instituta. Po prvi put, spajamo telemedicinu s tehnologijom mobilne analize koja proširuje doseg stručne trijaže izvan zdravstvenih ustanova. Ovakav zaslon razvijen u južnoj Africi preko 10 puta je jeftiniji od tradicionalne opreme i ne zahtijeva dodatnu obuku. Da sam ispitivala Anukov sluh u školi, slušalice koje prigušuju zvuk i nadziranje buke zamjenili bi zvučnu kabinu, a adapter telefona bih koristila umjesto mikroskopa za pregled njegovog sluha. Za samo par minuta, analiza i snimke su gotovi. Zatim primijenjujemo tehnologiju telemedicine Aljaske kako bismo poslali podatke stručnjacima koji povezuju Anuka s potrebnim liječenjem.
Our team is launching a randomized trial in 15 communities along the Bering Sea to study how well this intervention works. Our goal is to prevent childhood hearing loss across the state of Alaska. But the concept is bigger than a single state. The impact is global. Mobile telemedicine can revolutionize access to care.
Naš tim pokreće nasumično ispitivanje u 15 zajednica duž Beringovog mora radi proučavanja uspješnosti ove intervencije. Cilj nam je diljem Aljaske spriječiti gubitak sluha već u djetinjstvu. Ali ovaj koncept nadilazi granice jedne države. Utjecaj je globalan. Mobilna telemedicina može drastično promijeniti pristup liječenju.
In Malawi, for example, there are only two ear surgeons and 11 audiologists for a population of 17 million. This technology could empower teachers and community health workers to provide access to care to children in places like Malawi. Scaling up globally could change children's lives who have never had access to hearing care before, using just the power of a cell phone.
U državi Malavi, na primjer, postoje samo dva kirurga za sluh i 11 audiologa za populaciju od 17 milijuna. Ova tehnologija bi mogla osposobiti nastavnike i zdravstvene radnike zajednice da osiguraju pristup liječenju djece na mjestima kao što je Malavi. Globalna ekspanzija bi mogla promijeniti živote djece koja nikada nisu imala pristup liječenju sluha, samo uz pomoć mobilnog telefona.
It's time to change the course of preventable hearing loss. Anuk and countless children like him are depending on us.
Vrijeme je da promjenimo tijek preventive gubitka sluha. Anuk i bezbroj djece poput njega ovise o nama.
Thank you.
Hvala.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)