INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN A RESEARCH PROJECT: TO ALL FINAL YEAR HEALTH SCIENCE STUDENTS REGISTERED IN THE SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES

Dear Prospective Student Respondent  

We, the 4th-year Audiology students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville Campus) are conducting a research study aimed at exploring final year health science students’ knowledge and awareness of childhood hearing loss at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

We have received ethical clearance for the study REF: HSSREC/00008383/2025 and gatekeeper permission from the Office of the Registrar as attached.

Identification of hearing loss and the effective provision of ear and hearing health care for children depend on the collaboration of various healthcare providers. Health science students need to be made aware and receive some training on early identification and management crucial for mitigating the adverse effects for children with hearing loss. This awareness, education and training can help students in health sciences refer appropriately and communicate with children who have hearing loss in an effective manner, which can improve their overall quality of life and indirectly reduce the number of children whose hearing loss remains undetected.

If you are 18 years or older and currently registered in your final year of study, you are eligible to take part in this study from the following disciplines in the following capacity:

Pilot study: Audiology and Speech Therapy final year students

Main study: Dental Therapy, Oral hygiene, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, and Sport Science- final year students.

Prior to participating in the study you will receive an information document and consent from that you will need to sign. Participation in this study involves completing a questionnaire, which should take approximately 20 minutes of your time. All responses will remain anonymous, and no personal information will be linked to your responses. Participants are required to complete the questionnaire only once. Please note that participation is entirely voluntary, and opting out will not result in any negative consequences.

We kindly request that the class representatives of each final year health science class also share the link below with the class and send a reminder for the class to participate.

If you are interested in participating, please click the link below to access the information, consent documents, and the questionnaire online:

Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFJGEf90rezrzZtFnZfV9odG83d1SdMOL6FHYJKOEwypyGuA/viewform?usp=header

We appreciate your time and contribution to this study.

Researchers: 

Lindelwa Ntuli                                   Husna Moosa                           Aphelele Nyawo 

220052328@ukzn.ac.za                 222005847@ukzn.ac.za           222026509@ukzn.ac.za

Research Supervisor: 

Ms. Nasim Khan 

Thank you for your participation!