Rezvan Dashti
Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences
Iran
Title: Satisfaction with hearing aid based on type and degree of hearing loss
Biography
Biography: Rezvan Dashti
Abstract
Background & Objectives: Hearing loss is one of the most disabling impairments that its consequences affect hearing impaired people in all aspects. Using hearing aid in order to resolve hearing problem, positively affects this peoples’ quality of life. This research aimed to assess satisfaction with hearing aids based on type and degree of hearing loss.
Subjects & Methods: This descriptive-analytic and cross-sectional research was conducted on 187 subjects with hearing loss who were using hearing aid. The subjects were over 18 years old and they have been using hearing aid at least for 6 months. Persian version of Satisfaction with Amplification in Daily Life (SADL) questionnaire was the instrument which was used for assessing satisfaction with hearing aid. It was assessing four dimensions: services and costs, users’ self-image, negative features and positive effects.
Results: A significant difference was observed among mean satisfaction scores between people with different degree of hearing loss in cost and services subscale (P=0.04); subjects with moderate hearing loss estimated more satisfied. Mean satisfaction in persons who had mixed hearing loss estimated more than people who had sensorineural hearing loss in all subscales (P<0.021).
Conclusion: Global mean score of satisfaction showed a relatively high satisfaction of subjects with heir hearing aids. Increasing knowledge and educating audiologists for more proper and better hearing aid fitting as well as using self-reporting questionnaires like SADL for estimating social condition can essentially change patients’ disability condition and countervail their hearing loss. Audiologists can decrease negative effects in moderate as well as moderate to severe hearing loss persons by deliberate consulting about limitation and abilities of amplifier.