International Journal of Audiology最新文献

Objectives: This study investigates barriers to hearing aid acquisition and usage in nursing homes from the residents' perspective.

Design and study sample: 85 residents (mean age 83.8 years) were recruited from four nursing homes. Residents underwent pure tone and speech audiograms, completed the Nursing Home Hearing Index (NHHI), and a questionnaire on hearing aids.

Results: 25 residents had untreated severe hearing loss (29.4%), but many were reluctant to pursue rehabilitation (15/25). Those hesitant to adopt hearing aids had less severe hearing loss (55.2 dB vs. 66.0 dB for residents open towards hearing aids), were less aware of their hearing loss, felt less impact in their daily life (NHHI 29.3pts vs. 40.4pts), and held more negative preconceptions towards hearing aids. Among residents that already used hearing aids, problems with practical handling were the predominant barrier to regular use, followed by lack of perceived benefit, and barriers in healthcare access.

Conclusions: Raising early awareness for hearing loss is important to improve chances for rehabilitation. Educating medical staff in hearing health is crucial to raise awareness for hearing loss, support residents in daily life, and improve adherence to hearing aids. On-site services are essential for nursing homes to facilitate access to healthcare providers.

Objective: To explore perceived barriers and enablers to help-seeking and informed decision-making in hearing care in order to inform an intervention targeted at maximising uptake of hearing care (HearChoice).

Design: Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed qualitatively using a hybrid deductive and inductive thematic analysis approach based on the COM-B model of behaviour change.

Study sample: Sixteen adults with hearing difficulty took part (9 male, 7 female, age range 27 - 90), nine of whom had sought professional help for hearing difficulties and seven of whom had not.

Results: Participants described a range of interacting barriers and enablers to help-seeking and decision-making for hearing care that relate to psychological capability (e.g. knowledge; skills), environmental and social opportunity (e.g. supportive social circle and health care providers) and automatic and reflective motivation (e.g. shame; trust; beliefs about effectiveness of hearing aids).

Conclusion: Interventions to facilitate help-seeking and informed decision-making about care options for adults with hearing difficulties are likely to be most effective if factors that increase psychological capability, environmental and social opportunity, and automatic and reflective motivation are maximised. The framework developed from this study will inform the development of HearChoice and future research on help-seeking and decision-making.

Objective: To explore the relationship between tinnitus pitch and audiometric profile with the frequency of the most effective stimulus for tinnitus relief using either acoustic or electrical stimulation with cochlear-implant (CI).

Design: The pitch and loudness of tinnitus were assessed and tinnitus perception measured with a visual analogue scale (0-10) during acoustic masking or electrical stimulation with CI on different frequencies. A reduction in tinnitus loudness (RT) >50% was considered significant.

Study sample: 52 patients (53 ± 17yrs, 61.5%F-38.5%M) with sensorineural hearing loss (HL) and unilateral tinnitus (noCI group) and 50 patients (52.8 ± 14.6yrs, 56%F-44%M) with unilateral CI and tinnitus on the same side (CI group).

Results: In both groups the tinnitus pitch (2715.5 Hz for CI and 4629.8 Hz for noCI) was higher than the audiometric edge (steepest HL) and lower than the maximum HL. In noCI group the most effective frequency overlapped with tinnitus pitch. In CI group the most effective electrode (suppressor electrode-ES) was the most apical one (188-313Hz) with no relationship with the pitch-matched electrode (EPM).

Conclusions: The tonotopic differences in the localisation of the effective stimulus between acoustic masking and intracochlear electrical stimulation support different mechanisms involved in the suppression of neural circuits related to tinnitus perception.

Objective: This scoping review summarises existing interventions aimed at educating individuals without hearing loss to enhance their communication with older adults experiencing age-related hearing loss (ARHL).

Design: Data collection employed a systematic search approach as per the guidelines of Arksey & O'Malley, and followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

Study selection: A structured search was conducted involving four research databases from 2000 to 2023, with additional grey literature searching. Original papers written in English, reporting the design and implementation of educational interventions targeting communication with older adults with ARHL, were included. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify themes related to intervention type and methodology, and key findings.

Results: 13 eligible intervention studies were identified and summarised. Four main themes were described: (1) education and communication skills training; (2) mode of intervention delivery; (3) appropriateness of the intervention and satisfaction among participants; (4) transforming attitudes on hearing loss for better relationships and emotional well-being.

Conclusions: The link between hearing loss and diminished quality of life in older adults with ARHL highlights the importance of ongoing development of innovative educational programmes targeting effective communication in diverse settings, including clinical environments.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the Active Communication Education (ACE) program in improving usage, perceived benefit, and success with hearing aids (HAs).

Design: A multicentre, double-blind, randomised parallel design clinical trial with masked outcome assessments was conducted at primary healthcare centres. Participants were randomised into either an intervention group (ACE) or a control group (social intervention). The primary outcome was HAs usage (question 1 of IOI-HA) and secondary outcomes were perceived benefit (question 2 of IOI-HA) and success with HAs (usage for at least 1 hour/day as per question 1 of IOI-HA and at least moderate perceived benefit as per question 2 of IOI-HA). Data collection occurred before, right after, and at 6 and 12 months following the intervention.

Study sample: 114 older adults who use HAs.

Results: The intervention group significantly increased HAs usage compared to baseline right after the intervention, as well as at 6- and 12-month follow-ups, in comparison to the control group. Secondary outcomes also showed improvements at all follow-up measurements, although these were less consistent.

Conclusions: The ACE program is an effective strategy for enhancing HAs usage among older adults, with improvements that are sustainable over time.

Objective: To investigate sex-specific effects in self-reported auditory abilities using an adapted version of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities (SSQ) questionnaire.

Design and study sample: Three mixed-model analyses of variance were performed, one for each questionnaire section, using rationalised arcsine unit-transformed scores. Fifty-one females and 39 males with normal or near-normal hearing.

Results: Females gave significantly higher (better) scores for: (i) four speech questions, indicating less difficulty following two targets or a conversation when many people are talking, and conversing while ignoring an interfering voice with the same pitch as the talker, (ii) seven qualities questions, indicating less difficulty hearing sounds clearly, or stimuli sounding natural, judging mood, and finding it less effortful to concentrate when listening to or ignoring sounds. For both groups, scores were lowest for situations involving following two targets, judging distances, ignoring competing sounds and concentrating.

Conclusions: While the observed female advantage for several speech and qualities questions is consistent with performance-based findings in the literature, the lack of male advantage for spatial questions is not. Results show a previously unreported advantage for females in situations involving concentration and listening effort, with implications for educational settings, where male students might benefit from lip-reading in noisy environments.

Objective and design: This cross-sectional study aimed to compare occupational performance of cochlear implant (CI) users to that of adults with hearing impairment without CI and those with normal hearing (NH). We used the Amsterdam Checklist for Hearing and Work to assess job characteristics, hearing activities, need for recovery and other outcomes.

Study sample: We included 204 adults: 98 CI users (mean age 51), 52 participants with hearing impairment, without CI (HI group, mean age 49) and 54 participants with NH (NH group, mean age 46).

Results: Job characteristics were similar between the groups, but the CI and HI groups were significantly more likely to report (effortful) communication in noise compared to the NH group. Need for recovery was significantly higher in the HI than in the NH group, but the CI and NH groups showed no significant difference. The CI group needed less guidance in managing their hearing loss in the workplace than the HI group did.

Conclusions: The relatively favourable outcomes for CI users in need for recovery and reduced need for guidance at work may be due to the extensive training and counselling they received as part of their rehabilitation program.

Objectives: To investigate 1) the influence of electrical dynamic range (DR) in cochlear implants (CI) of children at 3 years of age on their speech perception, vocabulary, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) at 9 years of age; and 2) changes in electrical stimulation levels and DR over the first 10 years of life.

Design: This is a prospective longitudinal study on outcomes of children with congenital hearing loss. Outcomes at 9 years were measured using standardised tests. Generalised linear models were used to examine the effects of DR in CIs at age 3 years on children's 9-year outcomes.

Study sample: One hundred and two children who received CIs before 3 years of age.

Results: On average, vocabulary and HRQOL were within the range of typically hearing peers. A wider DR at 3 years was associated with better self-rated HRQOL at 9 years of age. Parent-proxy ratings of HRQOL were higher for children with better vocabulary. Earlier CI activation was associated with better speech perception and vocabulary. DR was stable over time.

Conclusion: The findings lend support to early cochlear implantation and emphasise the importance of optimising stimulation levels and DR at a young age to maximise longer-term outcomes.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review of identified barriers and facilitators for ethnically diverse adults and children in accessing hearing health services.

Design: Searches were performed in electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Pychinfo, LLBA, and Scopus. The Strengthening of Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology and Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research were used to assess quality of articles. Barriers and facilitators for ethnically diverse adults and children to access hearing services were summarised descriptively using Levesque et al.'s conceptual framework of access to healthcare.

Study sample: 25 articles met the inclusion criteria.

Results: Barriers and facilitators were identified for every domain of Levesque's framework for ethnically diverse adults, children, and their families. Personal barriers included health literacy, health beliefs, and stigma. Environmental barriers included language, limited cultural and interpreter training for clinicians, time constraints in appointments, direct and indirect costs. Facilitators included availability of translated and/or simplified information, cultural responsiveness training, outreach programs, and community health workers to engage with ethnically diverse communities.

Conclusion: With increasingly multicultural societies globally, there is an increased need to provide culturally responsive care and accessible hearing health services. Understanding current barriers and facilitators to accessibility would facilitate global sustainable development goals around reduced inequality, health, and wellbeing.

Lack of standardised information about hearing aid technologies presents a barrier to individuals seeking to understand and make informed choices about the hearing aid features they may benefit from.

Objectives: (1) To identify features in contemporary hearing aids as described in publicly available materials. (2) To develop a lexicon of hearing aid features that informs consumers about available technologies.

Design: A synthesis of published information on the features of contemporary hearing aids from six major manufacturers was conducted by a multidisciplinary research team. The analysis and categorisation of these findings was an iterative, agile process involving five distinct phases, Scoping, Extracting/Decoding, Mapping, Synthesising and Consulting.

Sample size: 119 documents/publications were included in this review. These materials comprised 14 product guides and specification data sheets, and 105 white papers and technical articles.

Results: We identified 253 unique features (e.g. Feedback Management) across 12 hearing aid devices (including both premium and entry-level models). This resulted in the development of a lexicon describing the core capabilities of modern hearing aids.

Conclusion: Data synthesis identified key features of contemporary hearing aids across device models and manufacturers to inform the design of a lexicon for use by consumers.