The purpose of this study is to examine the short-term effects of complementing an educational program for hearing aid users with Internet support.
Aural rehabilitation aims to improve communication for people with hearing impairment. Education is widely regarded as an integral part of rehabilitation, but the effect of the delivery method of an educational program on the experience of hearing problems has rarely been investigated in controlled trials. Internet as a complement to aural rehabilitation has been tested in different studies with promising results. Though, until now not applied clinically as a part of an aural rehabilitation, focusing on hearing aid users with persistent self- reported hearing problems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an internet-based aural rehabilitation for hearing aid users from a clinical population. Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. The intervention group followed a five-week program that consisted of reading material, home training assignments, online and telephone interaction with an audiologist, and participation in a discussion forum. The control group only had access to reading material. The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Communication Strategies Scale (CSS) were used to measure the outcomes of this study; and were recorded before and directly after the intervention as well as 6 months post-intervention.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
74
The intervention group followed a five-week program that consisted of reading material, home training assignments, online and telephone interaction with an audiologist, and participation in a discussion forum.
The control group only had access to reading material.
Hearing Clinic, Hearing Organization
Borås, Vastra Gotalandsregion, Sweden
The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE)
The HHIE measures the experience of hearing loss in older people by focusing on the psycosocial and emotional effects of hearing loss. Higher score reflects a higher self-reported hearing problem. Minimum score for the total scale (reported) is 0 and maximum score is 100 points.
Time frame: 5 weeks, 6 months
International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA)
The IOI-HA measures hearing aid outcomes. The IOI-HA includes seven questions, measuring specific dimensions of hearing aid outcomes: daily use, benefits, remaining activity limitations, satisfaction, remaining participation restrictions, impact on the environment, and quality of life. Each question is scored from 1 to 5 (reported), where a higher score indicates a better outcome.
Time frame: pre-measurement
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
The HADS contains 14 items. Responses are scored from 0 to 3 and a higher score indicates more symptoms of anxiety and depression. Minimum score for the total scale (reported) is 0 and maximum score for the total scale is 42.
Time frame: 5 weeks, 6 months
Communication Strategies Scale (CSS)
CSS is designed to analyze participants' behavior in various communication situations. Scoring for CSS ranges from 1 almost never to 5 almost always for subscales Verbal- and Nonverbal Strategies and conversely for Maladaptive Behaviors; indicating how frequent a specific situation or behavior occurs. Minimum score for the total scale (reported) is 0 and maximum score for the total scale is 125.
Time frame: 5 weeks, 6 months
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