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Introduction: Hearing and vision impairments are highly prevalent in long-term care settings and significantly impact residents' quality of life, yet they remain under-recognised and inadequately managed. Currently, there are no comprehensive international practice recommendations for identifying and managing these impairments in long-term care settings. Objective: To develop evidence-based international practice recommendations for identifying and managing hearing and vision impairment in older adults living in long-term care homes. Method: Led by an international multi-disciplinary task force, the process follows WHO guideline development principles with four phases: (1) systematic review of existing evidence from published research, clinical guidelines, and policy documents; (2) consultation workshops with task force members and consumer groups to address evidence gaps; (3) two-round modified Delphi process with an international multidisciplinary panel to achieve consensus on recommendations; and (4) external review by independent experts, consumer organizations, and policymakers. Results: Development commenced in February 2025. For phase 2, 8 consultation workshops involved 43 participants (USA, Canada, Europe, UK and Australia). A total of 28 recommendations (4 general, 10 hearing and 14 vision) were presented in phase 3. General recommendations were assessed by all 40 Delphi panelists, hearing by 29 panelists, and vision by 19 panelists. Conclusion: The guidelines will provide practical, evidence-based recommendations for long-term care providers and policymakers concerning awareness, detection, evaluation, and management of hearing and vision impairments in long-term care settings.
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