NÆRUM, DENMARK–When the Ida Institute was established here in 2008, its mission was “to foster a better understanding of the human dynamics associated with hearing loss.”
While that was a plenty ambitious goal, now the institute’s work is beginning to have an even wider impact than originally envisioned. The World Health Organization (WHO) has just published an educational textbook, Engage in the Process of Change: Facts and Methods, designed to help physicians and other healthcare professionals better understand and empower patients to change their lifestyles and behavior. The new textbook recommends that physicians make use of motivational tools that were developed at Ida.
This is the first time that WHO has included hearing loss with other major health conditions in a publication designed to educate and inform healthcare practice worldwide. The textbook was funded by a grant from the Oticon Foundation, which also funds the Ida Institute.
Engage in the Process is part of Health 2020, the WHO Regional Development Office’s new European policy for health. The policy aims to strengthen healthcare systems and revitalize public health infrastructures and institutes.
The textbook is free and can be downloaded from the WHO Europe web site. The Ida Motivational Tools can also be downloaded free from the Ida web site.
ENCOURAGING PATIENT-CENTERED CARE
Lise Lotte Bundesen, Ida’s managing director, said, “The WHO textbook provides an excellent opportunity to expose healthcare professionals around the world to the benefits of the Ida Motivational Tools. We are confident that the tools will facilitate more patient-centered care by professionals in a wide range of healthcare disciplines.”
One chapter in the textbook, “The Operational Model Used by Audiologists: The Use of Hearing Aids,” was contributed by two Ida faculty members, Sam Trychin and John Greer Clark. It describes the use of the motivational tools in audiology to illustrate their potential to support patients in a variety of healthcare scenarios.
Hanne Tønnesen, CEO of the Clinical Health Promotion Center at Bispebjerg University Hospital, is editor of the publication. Tønnesen, an Ida faculty member, helped the institute adapt the motivation tools for use in audiology.
