Introduction: According to the World Health Organization, over 5% of the world’s population –430 million people have hearing loss. It is estimated that by 2050, over 700 million people will have disabling hearing loss. In emergencies and disasters, alerts are predominantly transmitted through sound channels, posing significant challenges for the hearing-loss population. Ensuring accessible alert systems for this population is crucial. The recent “Iron Swords” war prompted the Israel Home Front Command to implement an accessible app that combines sound, vibration, and light alerts alongside traditional auditory warnings. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the alert application among individuals with hearing loss and identify factors influencing alert accessibility. Methods: A cross-sectional survey with accessible Hebrew was conducted from October 17 to November 30, 2023 (ten days after the war started) via the Qualtrics platform. The survey targeted individuals with hearing loss, including deaf people, hard-of-hearing individuals, and those with or without cochlear implants or hearing aids. Results: The study included 167 participants with hearing loss, of whom 52.1% (n = 87) self-identified as deaf persons and 43.7% (n = 73) as hard-of-hearing. Among the participants, 127 reported using cochlear implants and/or hearing aids. During daytime hours, approximately 69.46% of participants received warnings from the alert app (via sound, light, or vibration), compared to only 32.34% during nighttime hours. Notably, almost half of the participants (43.1%) reported not receiving alerts from the app at night. In response, about 47.31% of participants rely on family members as an alternative source of alerts. Conclusion: This application demonstrates effectiveness in delivering daytime alerts to individuals with varying degrees of hearing loss. However, its efficacy significantly diminishes during nighttime hours, regardless of hearing status. These findings highlight the need for developing more robust solutions for nighttime alert accessibility among populations with hearing loss.
Baruchi et al. (Sun,) studied this question.