Self-assessment of Hearing Aids by Hearing Impaired Subjects

Abstract

A 24-item self-administered questionnaire that quantifies performance with a hearing aid in everyday life was developed. The profiles assess experience with amplification of speech in three different listening situations (noisy, reverberant, and quiet environments) and in terms of reactions to amplified environmental sounds. Satisfaction was also assessed using the questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to 82 experienced hearing aid users. Results revealed that 6% of the subjects were satisfied with their hearing aids, 41% were dissatisfied and the remaining 53% intermediate. There were significant differences between the self-assessment performance scores of subjects with different degree of satisfaction. Significant differences were also observed between the self-assessment performance scores for different listening environments. In general, the subjects reported more significant success with their hearing aids in quiet situation and in listening to environmental sounds than in noisy and reverberant situations. Individual differences with respect to amplifications effects, relationship to hearing level, effectiveness and limitation of analog personal hearing aids are discussed.