SOME FACTORS AFFECTING THE EFFICIENT USE OF HEARING AIDS WITH CHILDREN

Objective: The most effective modality for presbycusis is using hearing aids. However, the rate of adoption and use of hearing aids among the elderly is not in line with the expectations. This review investigates the current evidence to identify factors affecting the adoption and use of hearing aids among the elderly with hearing loss. Design: This is a systematic review whose sample includes English articles published in peer-reviewed journals from January 2015 to October 2020. The search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Scopus electronic databases. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessments were performed by two independent reviewers. Results: In the 22 studies included in this review, a number of factors, including demographic status (economic status and level of education), auditory factors (hearing loss severity, presence of tinnitus, and the sound quality of hearing aids), attitudinal and psychosocial factors (self-perceived hearing problems, perceived self-efficacy, perceived benefit, support from significant others, and extrovert and ambivert personality types) were identified as variables potentially impacting the adoption and use of hearing aids. Conclusion: The results show that demographic, attitudinal, and psychosocial factors, as well as auditory factors, play an influential role in the adoption and use rate of hearing aids among older populations suffering from hearing loss. Therefore, it is necessary to consider these factors in order to formulate hearing healthcare policies and adopt targeted and appropriate interventions in the process of prescribing, adjusting, and evaluating hearing aids. PROSPERO registration: The protocol of this systematic review was published in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) with registration number: CRD42021227684 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021227684)

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Hearing Care for Older Adults: Beyond the Audiology Clinic

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2015_aja-14-0077 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 104-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marie Öberg

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Older People ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Impaired Hearing ◽

Community Based ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Everyday Activities ◽

Hearing Health ◽

Audiologic Rehabilitation

Purpose The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of hearing health care beyond the clinic for older people with impaired hearing. Method This article emphasizes factors affecting the success of audiologic rehabilitation for older people and describes practical clinical and community-based strategies for promoting successful hearing health care. Results Older people are not always aware of the extent of their hearing loss, may not always expect to benefit from using a hearing aid, and often have low self-efficacy for managing to learn to use hearing aids. Increased knowledge and support from other health professionals, family caregivers, and significant others could optimize older peoples' participation in everyday activities. Conclusion Further work is needed to develop new interventions for older people with impaired hearing and to increase collaboration with general practitioners as well as other health care professionals.

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Factors Affecting Hearing Aid Adoption and Use: A Qualitative Study

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.16148 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (04) ◽

pp. 300-312 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nicola E. Gallagher ◽

Jayne V. Woodside

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Older People ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Categorical Variables ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Hearing Aid Use ◽

Age Related ◽

The Difference

AbstractDespite a high prevalence of age-related hearing loss in older people, there is an unexplained low level of hearing aid adoption and use. Further research is required to determine the reason because hearing aids can vastly improve the quality of life for those with hearing loss.The aim of this study was to explore factors associated with hearing aid adoption and use, and to determine whether these differed between groups with different hearing aid use behaviors.Individual face-to-face semistructured interviews.Three groups of older people with hearing loss in Northern Ireland were recruited: (1) regular hearing aid users (n = 12), (2) irregular hearing aid users (n = 10), and (3) hearing aid nonowners (n = 10).Qualitative thematic analysis, using principles of grounded theory, was used to code the data and extract emerging themes for each of the three groups to distinguish similarities and differences between the groups. One-way analysis of variance and χ 2 tests were used to determine the difference in continuous and categorical variables, respectively, between the three groups.Similar themes emerged across the three groups: the complexity of low hearing aid use and attitudes to hearing loss/hearing aid use. A third theme, inadequacy of audiology services, was identified in both groups using hearing aids. Older age people having more severe hearing loss and longer duration of hearing aid ownership were associated with greater hearing aid adoption and use.Similar themes emerged from qualitative analysis across groups of people with hearing loss. More information for those with hearing loss and those with hearing aids and scheduled follow-up appointments for those with hearing aids are essential to improve hearing aid adoption and use in older people. Further research should focus on the most suitable methods of distributing this information and how often follow-up appointments should take place to achieve optimal hearing aid adoption and use.

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Factors affecting the use and perceived benefit of ITE and BTE hearing aids

British Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1080/00305364.2001.11745243 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 247-258 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

A. Baumfield ◽

H. Dillon

Keyword(s):

Hearing Aids ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Perceived Benefit

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Hearing Aids in the Real World: Use of Multimemory and Volume Controls

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.22.6.5 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 22 (06) ◽

pp. 359-374 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Shilpi Banerjee

Keyword(s):

Hearing Aids ◽

Real World ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Personal Digital Assistant ◽

Bilateral Symmetry ◽

Time Data ◽

Environmental Characteristics ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

The Real ◽

Left And Right

Background: Despite advances in technology, hearing aid users continue to express a desire for some control over their devices. Access to a suitable control can significantly affect overall satisfaction with amplification, yet little is known about the circumstances that drive hearing aid users to manipulate controls. Such information would be useful in guiding clinical decisions about the selection of controls and synchronization of their operation in a bilateral pair of hearing aids. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the real-world use of multimemory (MM) and volume (VC) controls and environmental characteristics that may influence their use. Research Design: Real-time data about MM and VC usage were gathered in the real world. Subjective reports of the environmental characteristics were obtained. This design allowed examination of the nature of hearing aid adjustments as well as exploration of factors affecting them. Study Sample: Ten adults with bilaterally symmetric, mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss participated in the study. All had previous experience with hearing aids. Intervention: Participants were fitted bilaterally with BTE (behind-the-ear) hearing aids equipped with an MM button and/or VC wheel. The devices were connected to a PDA (personal digital assistant) that logged data from the hearing aids and stored surveys completed by participants in various listening situations. Data Collection and Analysis: The following data were obtained from the PDA: (1) MM and VC settings in the left and right devices, (2) broadband input level at the microphone of the left and right devices, and (3) participant reports of the presence, distance, and location of signal and background noise. Prevalence of nondefault settings and bilateral symmetry of hearing aid adjustments were summarized descriptively, while the influence of environmental characteristics on hearing aid adjustments was analyzed using nonparametric methods. Results: Over 4–5 wk, 912 hr of data were logged and 184 surveys completed. Results showed that (1) the default (i.e., the programmed or “use”) setting was preferred most often, (2) the preferred hearing aid settings were mostly bilaterally symmetrical, and (3) nondefault settings were often used in difficult listening situations. Conclusions: The findings of this study generally support the use of synchronized MMs and/or VCs, although there may be exceptions to their utility.

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Progress In The Practical Application Of Automated Image Analysis To Tem Negatives

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100078614 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 214-217

Author(s):

F. A. Heckman ◽

E. Redman ◽

J.E. Connolly

Keyword(s):

Image Analysis ◽

Image Quality ◽

Exposure Time ◽

Image Contrast ◽

Automated Image Analysis ◽

Practical Application ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

High Image Quality ◽

Qualitative Evidence ◽

Comprehensive Study

In our initial publication on this subject1) we reported results demonstrating that contrast is the most important factor in producing the high image quality required for reliable image analysis. We also listed the factors which enhance contrast in order of the experimentally determined magnitude of their effect. The two most powerful factors affecting image contrast attainable with sheet film are beam intensity and KV. At that time we had only qualitative evidence for the ranking of enhancing factors. Later we carried out the densitometric measurements which led to the results outlined below.Meaningful evaluations of the cause-effect relationships among the considerable number of variables in preparing EM negatives depend on doing things in a systematic way, varying only one parameter at a time. Unless otherwise noted, we adhered to the following procedure evolved during our comprehensive study:Philips EM-300; 30μ objective aperature; magnification 7000- 12000X, exposure time 1 second, anti-contamination device operating.

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Factors affecting microstructural scale in liquid crystalline polymers

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100174230 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 220-221

Author(s):

Christine M. Dannels ◽

Christopher Viney

Keyword(s):

Liquid Crystalline ◽

Liquid Crystalline Polymers ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Crystalline Polymers ◽

Thermal Expansion Coefficients ◽

Low Thermal Expansion ◽

Lower Viscosity ◽

Fine Microstructure ◽

Planar Orientation ◽

Strength And Stiffness

Processing polymers from the liquid crystalline state offers several advantages compared to processing from conventional fluids. These include: better axial strength and stiffness in fibers, better planar orientation in films, lower viscosity during processing, low solidification shrinkage of injection moldings (thermotropic processing), and low thermal expansion coefficients. However, the compressive strength of the solid is disappointing. Previous efforts to improve this property have focussed on synthesizing stiffer molecules. The effect of microstructural scale has been overlooked, even though its relevance to the mechanical and physical properties of more traditional materials is well established. By analogy with the behavior of metals and ceramics, one would expect a fine microstructure (i..e. a high density of orientational defects) to be desirable.Also, because much microstructural detail in liquid crystalline polymers occurs on a scale close to the wavelength of light, light is scattered on passing through these materials.

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