Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate hearing aid fitting from a societal viewpoint, rather than the more traditional patient perspective. The effects of hearing aid fitting on generic quality of life (EuroQol), social functioning (SF36), auditory disability, productivity at paid and unpaid labour, and medical consumption, were assessed in a prospective study among 80 moderately hearing-impaired first-time hearing aid applicants. The study showed that hearing aid fitting solved problems with paid employment, but did not seem to affect unpaid work. Use of medical services remained relatively stable after first-time hearing aid fitting. The Amsterdam Inventory proved to be a useful questionnaire to assess the effects on hearing disability. No effects of hearing aid fitting on generic quality of life could be determined with the EuroQol, while hearing aid fitting did lead to an improvement in one aspect of generic quality of life; namely social functioning.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 152-60 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | International Journal of Audiology |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2003 |
Keywords
- Adult
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Attitude
- Disability Evaluation
- Female
- Hearing Aids
- Hearing Disorders/therapy
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Prospective Studies
- Prosthesis Fitting
- Quality of Life
- Social Behavior
- Surveys and Questionnaires