Factores sociodemográficos, audiológicos y audioprotésicos relacionados con la calidad de vida en pacientes con prótesis auditivas en Madrid (España)

Abstract

Background and objective

The purpose of a prosthetic adaptation is not only to improve language understanding and sound recognition, but to improve the patient's quality of life.

The purpose of this investigation is to measure quality of life of patients with hearing aids, and investigate which sociodemographic, audiological and audioprosthetic variables affect it.

Material and methods

Multicenter cross-sectional descriptive study in the Community of Madrid (España). Sample 54 patients and Effectiveness of Auditory Rehabilitation (EAR) scale was used.

Results

Mean age 66.4 years; 55.6% men. The mean score of 10 audiological EAR items was 64.54 (SD 16.43). The mean score of 10 ear audioprosthetic items was 71.84 (SD 13.49).

Age, sex, work activity, level of education, degree of hearing loss, logoaudiometry results, free field, number and format of hearing aids, prescriber of the prostheses and year of manufacture of the prostheses, are associated with different items of the EAR scale (P < .05).

Conclusions

The audiological quality of life ranges from regular to good, and audioprosthetics is close to good.

Younger age, female sex and work activity are associated with better quality of life. People with good logoaudiometric results are associated with better quality of life. Monaural adaptations, retroauricular hearing aids, more modern hearing aids and that the patient does not self-describe hearing aids, are associated with better quality of life.

Hearing aids improve the quality of life of patients, provided that sociodemographic, audiological and audioprosthetic characteristics, specific to each patient are taken into account to make a personalized and optimal audioprosthetic adjustment.