Working-age first-time hearing aid users’ self-reported outcomes

Abstract

Objective: To study patient-reported hearing aid (HA) rehabilitation outcomes, social-communicative functioning, and expectations/experiences during eight months of HA use. Design: Three self-reporting instruments, the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA), the Quantified Denver Scale of Communicative Function (QDS), and questionnaires tapping pre-rehabilitation expectations (HA-EXP-Q1) and post-rehabilitation experiences (HA-EXP-Q2) were administered. Study sample: 144 patients ages 23–66 with gradually acquired, adult-onset, mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss affecting both ears who acquired their first HAs. Results: According to self-reports, HA rehabilitation outcomes were good, and everyday social-communicative functioning improved after one month and after eight months of HA use. When the effects from demographic and audiological variables were analysed, younger age and positive expectations of HAs were associated with better outcomes and social-communicative functioning. The form or hearing loss severity, and the type or number of HAs did not affect outcomes. Conclusion: Working-age HA users reported better HA outcomes than older adults in previous studies. Coping in work life may be a strong motivator for active HA use. Considering that younger age and positive expectations resulted in better outcomes, early rehabilitation that supports positive and realistic expectations of HA performance is essential.