A Cross-Sectional Survey Evaluating Awareness of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Among Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists

Purpose: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common congenital infection worldwide and a leading environmental cause of pediatric hearing loss (HL). The objective of this study was to evaluate audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) on awareness and knowledge of cCMV. Method: A multiple-choice survey assessing awareness, knowledge, and practice patterns was sent electronically to audiologists and SLPs of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Results were compared between audiologists and SLPs and within stratified groups of audiologists. Data were collected, and descriptive analysis was performed. Results: Ninety-four audiologists and 317 SLPs responded. Most audiologists were somewhat or very familiar with cCMV (85.9%), while only 26% of SLPs responded that they were at least somewhat familiar with cCMV (p<.0001). When comparing audiologists' and SLPs' knowledge of symptoms, transmission, and diagnostic age for cCMV, audiologists had higher scores in all categories (p<.0001). Audiologists were then stratified into subgroups to evaluate the association of the given subgroup with their overall knowledge. The more advanced audiology training, the more knowledgeable the respondent was regarding HL progression (p=.002). Audiologists who were more familiar with cCMV scored better in most categories compared to those reporting somewhat or less familiar; these findings were only significant for knowledge of symptoms (p<.0001). Audiologists who were sometimes or frequently evaluating children less than 5 years of age had a better understanding of HL presentation among cCMV patients than those who rarely saw this patient population. Those who were in practice for < 20 years frequently knew the time-sensitive age of diagnosis than respondents in practice longer. Conclusions: As a leading environmental cause of pediatric HL, cCMV is frequently encountered by audiologists and SLPs. This study highlights knowledge gaps and areas where targeted education is needed for both groups.