Facilitators and barriers for the use of the FM System in school-age children with hearing loss

Objective: to analyze the facilitators and barriers to the use of the FM System in school-age children with hearing loss. Methods: a cross-sectional, observational and documentary study. Data from the children's charts and responses of their 30 teachers to a questionnaire were used in the descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. The questions were related to the use of the FM System by the child and the preparation of the teachers to use the resource. Results: out of the 30 children whose teachers answered the survey, only nine used the FM System in the classroom. Factors such as age, parents' schooling and their participation in speech therapy, as well as the teacher's knowledge about the FM System and their experience with hard of hearing children were shown to be facilitators for the use of the device as well as the consistent use of the hearing devices (hearing aids and/or cochlear implant). Conclusion: the main facilitator for the use of the FM System was the teacher's knowledge about it. Considering the importance of the use of this resource for the mainstream education of children with hearing loss, a multi-centric research is desirable for the determination of protocols to follow the adaptation and training of the school community.