Auditory disabilities, individual fitting targets, and the compensation power of hearing aids

Authors

  • Simon Lansbergen Clinical & Experimental Audiology AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Inge De Ronde-Brons Clinical & Experimental Audiology AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Monique Boymans Clinical & Experimental Audiology AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • Wim Soede Audiology, LUMC, Leiden, The Netherlands
  • Wouter Dreschler Clinical & Experimental Audiology AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Keywords:

AVAB, COSI

Abstract

There is lack of a systematic approach how to select an adequate hearing aid and how to evaluate its efficacy towards the personal needs of rehabilitation. The goal of this study was to examine the applicability and added value of two widely used self-reporting questionnaires (COSI and AVAB) in relation to the evaluation of hearing aid fitting. We analysed responses from 740 subjects who filled in the questionnaires pre and post hearing aid fitting. Results show a moderate to strong correspondence between COSI scores for overall degree of change and final ability. Most COSI responses are at or near the maximum possible score and show slight differences in overall scores considering the effect of hearing aid experience or hearing loss. AVAB results reveal a more refined evaluation of the hearing aid fitting. Combining the advantages of both methods results in a profound evaluation of hearing aid rehabilitation. Our results suggest that both methods should be used complementary, rather than separately.

References

Dillon, H., James, A., and Ginis, J. (1997). “Client Oriented Scale of Improvement (COSI) and its relationship to several other measures of benefit and satisfaction provided by hearing aids,” J. Am. Acad. Audiol., 8, 27-43.

Dillon, H., Birtles, G., and Lovegrove, R. (1999). “Measuring the outcome of a national rehabilitation program: Normative data for the Client Orientated Scale of Improvement (COSI) and the Hearing Aid User’s Questionnaire (HAUQ),” J. Am. Acad. Audiol., 10, 67-79.

Dreschler, W.A., de Ronde-Brons, I. (2016). “A profiling system for the assessment of individual needs for rehabilitation with hearing aids,” Trends Hear., 20, doi: 10.1177/2331216516673639

Fuente, A., McPherson, B., Kramer, S.E., Hormazábal, X., and Hickson, L. (2012). “Adaptation of the Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap into Spanish,” Disabil. Rehabil., 34, 2076-2084. doi: 10.3109/09638288.2012.671884

Kramer, S.E., Kapteyn, T.S., Festen, J.M., and Tobi, H. (1995). “Factors in subjective hearing disability,” Int. J. Audiol., 34, 311-320. doi: 10.3109/00206099509071921

Meijer, A.G.W., Wit, H.P., Tenvergert, E.M., Albers, F.W.J., and Kobold, J.P.M. (2003). “Reliability and validity of the (modified) Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap,” Int. J. Audiol., 42, 220-226. doi: 10.3109/14992020309101317

Zelski, R.F. (2000). “Use of the Client Oriented Scale of Improvement as a clinical outcome measure in the Veterans Affairs national hearing aid program,” Graduate dissertation.
Adaptive processes in hearing

Additional Files

Published

2017-12-20

How to Cite

Lansbergen, S., De Ronde-Brons, I., Boymans, M., Soede, W., & Dreschler, W. (2017). Auditory disabilities, individual fitting targets, and the compensation power of hearing aids. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research, 6, 191–198. Retrieved from https://proceedings.isaar.eu/index.php/isaarproc/article/view/2017-23

Issue

Vol. 6 (2017): Adaptive Processes in Hearing

Section

2017/4. Assessment of specific auditory functions and hearing ability

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

a. Authors retain copyright* and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

*From the 2017 issue onward. The Danavox Jubilee Foundation owns the copyright of all articles published in the 1969-2015 issues. However, authors are still allowed to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.