title: Subjective hearing-related quality-of-life is a major factor in the decision to continue using hearing aids among older persons.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Audiological parameters alone do not determine the choice to use hearing aids (HA). Subjective hearing-related QoL is a major factor that determines whether or not an older person will continue to wear HA.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to identify which audiological parameters and quality-of-life (QoL) measures determine whether or not older persons will continue wearing HA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Charts of 157 patients aged ≥65 years who attended the HA service unit at the Otolaryngology Department were retrospectively reviewed. After HA fitting and a trial, the patients were divided into groups, depending upon whether or not they wanted to continue wearing the HA (users, 58.2%; non-users, 41.8%) and then audiological parameters were compared between them. At least 4 months after the HA fitting, the self-reported QoL questionnaire, Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE), was mailed to all 157 patients and HHIE scores were compared between HA users and non-users.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Speech discrimination score and dynamic range did not significantly differ between HA users and non-users. A difference in the average hearing threshold was marginally significant. The response rate to the HHIE was 65.2%. Total HHIE and emotional scores were higher (more impaired) among HA users than non-users.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery , Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
authors.forename: Yukihide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery , Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sugaya
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery , Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagayasu
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery , Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
authors.forename: Atsuko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.affiliation: a Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery , Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences , Okayama , Japan.
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishizaki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D006309:Hearing; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011304:Presbycusis / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests
keywords: Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly; Hearing aids; average hearing threshold; dynamic range; presbycusis; speech discrimination