An audit of hearing rehabilitation within the health service--past and present.
The present contribution can be considered as an audit of the hearing aid rehabilitation programme as performed in Copenhagen, based on an ongoing quality assurance. A comparative analysis was performed in outcome measures between two 3-month periods in which the only change had been a transfer of the preliminary instruction in manipulation and management of hearing aid (HA) from the educational to the health sector. The data analysis was based on a questionnaire including three samples (sample A, n = 800 evaluated before the change; sample B,n = 779 after the change; and sample C, n = 73 with no change, acting as a reference). The comparison demonstrated no significant differences in the ability to manage or manipulate HA between samples A and B, and no changes were found in the reference sample, C. A significant decrease in the frequency of hearing-impaired subjects needing additional appointments in the health sector was found in sample B. Those subjects who at the HA fitting had made no request for additional educational services demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of 97% capability to manage HA at the follow-up in comparison to only 84% among those who had requested services compatible with the distribution of experienced/unexperienced HA users. The additional data analyses render no support for any effect of the educational services on the ability to manipulate and manage HA.
Parving
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A
Department of Audiology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Sibelle
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P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care