Awareness and Knowledge of Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) Among Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists in Saudi Arabia: A Cross Sectional Survey

Abstract

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most prevalent congenital infection in the world. It can result in various neurodevelopmental disorders, one of which is environmental hearing loss among children. This study aimed to assess the awareness and knowledge of cCMV among audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Saudi Arabia and to seek their perception of it. An online survey was conducted from May to June 2023, targeting participants through social media, and a descriptive and inferential analysis was performed. A total of 107 participants (31 audiologists and 76 SLPs) were enrolled in this study. Awareness about cCMV was significantly higher among audiologists (84%) compared to SLPs (49%) (p-value < 0.001). However, both groups exhibited poor cCMV knowledge, which was revealed by their low mean knowledge scores (6.8/14 for audiologists and 5.7/14 for SLPs). The difference between their mean scores was non-significant (p-value > 0.05). The majority of SLPs and audiologists agreed that it is crucial for them to learn more about cCMV to enrich their professional backgrounds. This study emphasized the necessity for cCMV education for audiologists and SLPs. Increased awareness and knowledge may allow them to be more mindful of cCMV symptoms and therefore provide enhanced service to their pediatric patients.

Keywords: audiologist; congenital cytomegalovirus; hearing loss; neurodevelopmental disorder; speech-language pathologist.

Figure 1

Awareness of cCMV among audiologists and speech pathologists. Chi-square descriptive comparative test was used. Participants were asked whether they had previously heard of cCMV. Percentages (%) are used to show how many respondents chose “Yes” or “No” or ‘Maybe’ as their answer.

Figure 2

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) screening availability. Chi-square descriptive comparative test was used. (A) Does your institution or hospital offer hearing test targeting early cCMV screening? (B) Does your institution or hospital offer universal cCMV screening?.