Listen to the sounds of why hearing matters to the Alaskan Native people.
Slušajte zvuke važnosti sluha za urođenike na Aljasci.
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 na otvorenoj vodi, lov irvasa i žetvu bobica, glavne aktivnosti u kulturi starosedelaca Aljaske. Gubitak sluha nije jedinstven za ruralnu Aljasku. On je globalan. Projekat The Global Burden of Disease procenjuje da postoji 1,1 milijarda ljudi koji žive bez sluha, širom sveta. To je više ljudi nego cela populacija podsaharske Afrike. Preko 80 procenata njih je iz zemalja niskih ili srednjih prihoda, a mnogi nemaju pristup lečenju sluha.
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.
Uticaj na ljudske živote je ogroman. Anuk je trogodišnji dečak kog sam lečila na Aljasci. Infekcije uha su počele kad mu je bilo jedva četiri meseca. Roditelji su ga doveli na kliniku, zabrinuti jer nije mnogo govorio u poređenju sa svojom braćom. Naravno, brojne infekcije su dovele do gubitka sluha. Bez lečenja, Anukov govor će nastaviti da zaostaje. Veće su šanse da će biti lošiji u školi, imati lošije izglede za zaposlenje i da će biti društveno izolovan.
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 ne mora da bude tako. SZO procenjuje da polovina slučajeva gubitka sluha u svetu može biti sprečena. Ako se Anukov gubitak sluha otkrije i leči brzo, njegov život i prilike koje bude imao dok odrasta bi mogli biti mnogo drugačiji.
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 ušni hirurg i sarađujem sa partnerima širom sveta na novim načinima prevencije gubitka sluha. Ovo rešenje proizlazi iz moje saradnje sa plemenskom zdravstvenom organizacijom koja se zove Zdravstvena korporacija Norton Sound. Procena gubitka sluha tradicionalno podrazumeva testiranje kod audiologa u zvučno izolovanoj prostoriji, sa mnogo standardne opreme. Ušni hirurg zatim pregleda Anukove uši pod mikroskopom i donosi plan lečenja. Ova sredstva prosto nisu dostupna u udaljenim sredinama. U zemlji gde 75 procenata zajednica nije povezano sa bolnicom putevima, neophodni su skupi letovi. Da bi prevazišla ove prepreke, Aljaska je razvila najsavremeniji sistem telemedicine koji spaja preko 250 seoskih zdravstvenih klinika sa specijalistima koji trijažiraju sve vrste zdravstvenih problema. Moje kolege su procenile da su pregledi sluha putem telemedicine jednaki pregledima uživo. U 2016. godini, putovanje je izbegnuto za 91 procenat pacijenata koji su lečeni telemedicinom u oblasti Norton Sound. Telemedicina je uštedela preko 18 miliona u putnim troškovima u jednoj oblasti tokom prethodnih 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 podiže moć telemedicine na novi nivo, putem projekta koji finansira Institut za istraživanje ishoda fokusiranih na pacijenta. Prvi put spajamo telemedicinu sa mobilnom tehnologijom skrininga koja širi domete ekspertne trijaže van zdravstvenih ustanova. Ovaj ekran, razvijen u južnoj Africi, košta preko 10 puta manje nego tradicionalna oprema i ne zahteva naprednu obuku. Da ispitujem Anuka u školi, slušalice koje prigušuju zvuk i kontrolisanje buke bi zamenili zvučnu kabinu, a adapter telefona bih koristila umesto mikroskopa da mu pregledam uši. Za samo par minuta, skrining i slike su gotovi. Zatim primenjujemo tehnologiju telemedicine Aljaske da pošaljemo podatke stručnjacima koji povezuju Anuka sa potrebnim lečenjem.
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 procene uspeha ove intervencije. Cilj nam je da sprečimo gubitak sluha u detinjstvu širom Aljaske. Ali ovaj koncept prevazilazi granice jedne države. Uticaj je globalan. Mobilna telemedicina može revolucionisati pristup lečenju.
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 Malaviju, na primer, postoje samo dva ušna hirurga i 11 audiologa za populaciju od 17 miliona. Ova tehnologija bi mogla da osposobi nastavnike i zdravstvene radnike zajednice da obezbede pristup lečenju dece u mestima kao što je Malavi. Globalna ekspanzija bi mogla da promeni živote dece koja nikada do sada nisu imala pristup lečenju 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.
Vreme je da promenimo tok predupredljivog gubitka sluha. Anuk i brojna deca kao što je on zavise od nas.
Thank you.
Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)