title: Subjective measures of hearing aid benefit and satisfaction in the NIDCD/VA follow-up study.
abstract: Perceived benefit, satisfaction, and hearing aid use patterns were measured in a follow-up study to a large-scale multi-site clinical trial conducted in 1996-97. Measures included the Hearing Aid Status Questionnaire, the Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit, the Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile, the Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life, and the International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids. On the Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit, hearing aid users indicated more unaided difficulty in easy listening situations and less aided benefit in more difficult listening situations compared to the original study. Subjects who no longer used hearing aids indicated less difficulty in unaided situations. All measures indicated significant long-term subjective benefit and satisfaction with hearing aids. Although understanding speech in noise or in group situations continues to be problematic, subjects reported wearing their hearing aids almost all of the time in both easy and difficult listening situations.
authors.affiliation: Audiology and Speech Pathology Service, VA Medical Center, 601 Highway 6 West, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA. gail.takahashi@va.gov
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Charles D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beamer
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bridges
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Noffsinger
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugiura
authors.forename: Gene W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Bratt
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001299:Audiometry; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome