A randomized, controlled trial of the efficacy of a communication course for first time hearing aid users.
Many centres include a communication course as part of their auditory rehabilitation. These usually take the form of a small group and include discussion of the effects of hearing loss, use of the hearing aid, hearing tactics and lip reading. To investigate the efficacy of such a rehabilitation programme a randomized, controlled trial of a communication course was undertaken. All subjects were first time hearing aid users; handicap was measured using the Quantified Denver Scale of Communication Function (QDS) at the time of hearing aid fitting, and then 13 weeks later. All subjects had a hearing aid follow-up appointment, but the treatment group (n = 22) also underwent a four-week communication course, while the control group (n = 25) had no further rehabilitation. The reduction in handicap measured by the change in QDS was significantly greater for the treatment group than for the control group (Mann Whitney U test, tied p value = 0.014). This indicates that such a communication course is efficacious in reducing handicap. Further research is required to identify the populations that will benefit most from such a course.
Beynon
G J
GJ
Audiology Department, Addenbrookes's Hospital, Cambridge.
Thornton
F L
FL
Poole
C
C
D000368:Aged; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017755:Prosthesis Fitting; D013070:Speech Therapy